Tale of Greatness
by lookitstj
Summary: Hiruzen chooses Orochimaru over Minato as his successor, unknowingly ushering a series of events that will either bring Konoha up into a golden age or bring it down into a sea of flames. An alternate version of the Naruto story where one decision changes everything. Only confirmed pairing right now is OroTsu, but there might be others.
1. Chapter 1

**Part I: Episode I**

There was a soft tension inside the room that usually housed the students of the Ninja Academy. Today, it held some of the most important people in Konohagakure and at the head of the classroom stood the 3rd Hokage himself - Sarutobi Hiruzen. At 56, the man hailed as the "god of shinobi" was certainly beginning to show the greater signs of aging.

Despite the graying of his once dark brown hair and the sagging of his skin, however, Hiruzen still managed to portray a sort of youthful confidence - the kind that seemed to fill the entire room. His eyes scanned the room, resting on his former teammates and the current Konoha council as well as the three Hokage hopefuls in the room: The young and idealistic Namikaze Minato, the brilliant Orochimaru, and the veteran Shimura Danzo.

The room was silent and Homura and Koharu glanced at Hiruzen, silently urging him to get on with the process. Hiruzen looked at the Academy door and sighed. He looked around the room again, noting a few more of the faces in the room. There was Minato's wife, Kushina, who was blatantly ignoring the rule stating the Hokage candidates should be left alone. Hiruzen's wife, Biwako sat in the back of the room, patiently waiting for her husband to announce his successor. Hiruzen looked for his youngest son, Asuma, but to no avail.

"You nervous?" Kushina asked, careful to keep her voice quiet. Minato smiled.

"Yeah, a little bit. I can't believe I'm actually being considered." The blond shinobi said, the excitement showing in his bright blue eyes. Kushina managed to stifle a giggle. He was so cute when he got excited like this.

"Well it is your dream, isn't it? To become Hokage?"

"Well yeah," Minato said, turning to look at his wife. "But look who I'm up against. I have nothing on these two. Yet here I am. It's humbling, in a way." Kushina was about to respond one of the council members cleared their throat in an unnecessarily loud manner. Kushina turned to glare at Koharu. Hoping to avoid a scene, Minato quickly pecked Kushina on the forehead.

"Maybe you should sit down, babe." He suggested. Kushina folded her arms stubbornly but after a bit more coaxing, she reluctantly sat down, making sure not to remove Koharu from her irritated eyes. Minato let out a sigh of relief, glad that nothing serious had happened. He looked around him, accidentally catching Danzo's gaze. It was cold and Minato had to force himself to not stare in the older man's one good eye. Minato quickly turned to look at Orochimaru, who appeared to be deep in thought.

_This waiting is stupid_, the Sannin thought to himself. Orochimaru knew that Minato had all but won the title of Hokage, and that the whole "ceremony" was a farce. Even if Hiruzen was planning on picking Danzo, Orochimaru knew that he was simply there because he was the only one of Hiruzen's students still in the village. Orochimaru began thinking about his experiments when Hiruzen called the meeting to order.

"As you all know," the Third Hokage began, his facing losing the light it had just moments ago in favor of a more sober expression. "I am ready to retire from the Hokage position and consequently must pick a successor." Hiruzen paused, mostly for dramatic effect. He had all but memorized his speech by now and he enjoyed making his former teammates suffer. Homura and Koharu glared at him, once again willing for him to go faster.

"Of all the talented shinobi in this village, I have narrowed my choices down to the three individuals to my left. First, there is my old friend and comrade, Shimura Danzo. This man has the experience necessary to lead this village as well as the vigilance and resolve to do what is necessary to ensure its safety." Hiruzen stated, looking at Danzo. The man was the council's primary pick, although Hiruzen thought Danzo far too militant.

"Next, my pupil Orochimaru. He is a brilliant man and I have no doubt in his ability to lead Konohagakure into a brighter future." The faces of the council members went unreadable at the mention of Orochimaru's name. There was no denying that the man was brilliant, although it was equally easy to point out that Orochimaru perhaps wasn't the most humane individual and rumors about him ran rampant.

"And finally the youngest of the candidates, Namikaze Minato. He may be young, but this boy is the light of his generation. He is strong, and he is brave." Hiruzen paused again, meeting the council's faces. For once, there was no concrete tie between the three former teammates. Each candidate had their pros and their cons and although the council liked Danzo, the cases for the other two was simply too strong to not consider.

"The Konoha Council and I have deliberated back and forth for what seems like years over this matter, but in the end, the choice is mine to make." The Sandaime continued, turning to face the candidates. "I could sit here all day and discuss the benefits and drawbacks each one of your brings to this position. At your best, you will see Konoha into a golden age. At your worst, however, all three of you have the potential to bring this village down in fire. Know that I will be with you as a friend, and as an adviser. But enough talk. I now make my decision."

Hiruzen waited momentarily, watching as the room took a collective breath.

"The man whom I appoint as my successor to the title of Hokage is...Orochimaru." The Sannin looked at his former teacher in surprise as the tension that had filled the room to the brim merely seconds ago began to dissipate. A round of polite applause echoed around the mostly empty room. Orochimaru looked into Hiruzen's eyes, but could find no trace of anything. His teacher was unreadable. Noticing the eyes on him, Orochimaru walked slowly to the center of the room and bowed. He hated the gesture, but upsetting the council at this point would only be more trouble than it was worth.

Orochimaru had wanted to talk to Hiruzen as soon as the meeting was over, but then Danzo made his way over to the Sannin. Wearing the most outrageously fake smile Orochimaru had ever seen, Danzo escorted him outside under the guise of a friendly congratulations. Once the two were outside, however, Danzo's face turned dark.

"You don't really intend on taking this position, do you Orochimaru?" Danzo asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Orochimaru eyed the older man cautiously. Even by Orochimaru's standards, Danzo was cunning and slippery as an eel.

"I do, actually. The position of Hokage works out very well for me, Danzo." The older man barely suppressed an irritated growl before leaning in closely to Orochimaru.

"Drop out, Orochimaru. We both know that you don't care about this village in the slightest. Why even bother with the charade?" Danzo said, coming as close to pleading as a man of his dignity could. Orochimaru scoffed.

"The title of Hokage is just as important to me, Danzo, as it is to you. So no, I have no plans on giving up my position." Danzo glared at Orochimaru with a hatred that surprised even the Sannin, but before he could speak the Academy door opened to reveal Minato and Kushina.

"Ah, Orochimaru-san, Hokage-sama said he wanted to see you after all of this. Congratulations, by the way. You'll make an amazing Hokage." The blond jonin announced before making his way home. Once again, he caught Danzo's still angry gaze.

"Ah, Danzo-san," he said with a bow before walking away. Orochimaru turned to give Danzo one last cold, teasing glance before stepping back into the Academy. Livid, Danzo vanished.

* * *

It was dark outside, but that didn't stop Hiruzen from resting on his nose among the Hokage Monument. Generally, it was frowned upon even for the Hokage to do such a thing. But it was late and everyone who would even bother to tell Hiruzen such a thing was asleep, except for Danzo maybe. The thought of his old rival caused Hiruzen to sigh loudly. There was no doubt in his mind that Danzo was seething even still.

"Yo." A deep voice suddenly rang out. Hiruzen turned around to see Jiraiya standing horizontally on the 2nd Hokage's cheek like a man-sized zit. Moments later, Tsunade was there as well, although she seemed less than excited to be there.

"There you two are. I suppose late is better than never." Tsunade scoffed.

"Nice to see you too, old man. Now can you tell us why you asked us to come all this way?" Jiraiya asked. Hiruzen's sigh, as usual, was the only part of him that seemed to be as old as he was. Well his sigh and his face.

"Yes," Hiruzen began. "It's about Orochimaru."

* * *

**Author's Corner: I did as much research as I could so that my timeline is as close to the original as possible, although since there isn't an official one, I had to make some assumptions. One of the biggest things bothering me is Danzo. I don't know what he has under his eyepatch, but it is known that he had it some time before Hiruzen picked his successor. Likewise, I have no idea if he has the Sharingan embedded on his arm, but I'm pretty sure at this point that he's been injected with the Senju DNA, since Orochimaru has long-since experimented with it by this point. **

**As for the Part I thing, I'm splitting this story into at least two parts with the first going over Orochimaru's initial years as Hokage/Hokage-select. Part I is essentially a prologue, however, since the story is going to be Naruto story as opposed to an Orochimaru one.**

**So, if you like where this might be heading or if you just want to correct/add some information, feel free to leave a review. I'm not positive yet, but I might need some OC's to fill out Naruto's graduating class a bit. If you want you can send those, but if this takes off then I will definitely let people know.**

**Anyway, I hope this story has piqued your interest and while favourites and alerts are cool, I really do crave reviews. Regardless, do as you please and thank you for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part I: Episode II**

Orochimaru let out an irritated sigh as he made his way through the village, barely acknowledging the congratulations he was receiving on becoming the next Hokage. He was more concerned about the vastly increased amount of 'discrete' followers he had gotten since yesterday. Some were ANBU agents, meant to make sure any possible political enemies didn't attempt to harm Orochimaru. Ironically, the other group consisted of the closest thing Orochimaru had to a political enemy - Danzo. Or at least, Danzo's glorified orphanage 'Root'. While the ANBU ninja invisibly followed from the rooftops, the Root children blended into the streets of Konoha - a slightly more inconspicuous method, even if it sacrificed the mobility that the ANBU enjoyed.

Orochimaru continued to make his way to the village's western gate, where the village grew less populated and more rural. Both of his pursuers had become less visible, which Orochimaru was sure meant that they were losing their ability to follow as discretely. As the Sannin made his way, he noticed a small family who smiled and waved at him. Orochimaru smiled, but it was more mocking than genuine. A Root group disguised as a family. Cute, but more ineffective.

Suddenly, Orochimaru felt a presence right behind him. He turned, ready to strike, and looked awkwardly when he saw his former teammate Tsuande standing before him.

"Hey there, I hear congrats are in order." She said with a smile in her eyes and a soft smirk on her face. Orochimaru gave something of a laugh in response.

"Thank you, Tsunade. I must admit, I wasn't aware that you were in the village..." Orochimaru's voice trailed, bringing up the subject that neither Sannin felt like discussing. Tsunade sighed and looked up and around her.

"Seems like you've got some company," she said, her grin turning sly. Orochimaru's eyes narrowed and just like that, the two disappeared, leaving numerous frustrated black ops ninja behind.

* * *

Orochimaru and Tsunade soon found themselves a few yards behind the western gate. They were still about an hour and a half from the Land of Rivers, but Konohagakure rarely used the buffer land. As a result, Orochimaru found the area private and completely suited for his various less controversial experiments. Unfortunately, he still wanted to avoid his lab with Tsunade right next to him.

The woman had grown uncharacteristically quiet, which set Orochimaru on edge.

"Why are you here, Tsunade?" Orochimaru asked, his voice sounding more annoyed than he had intended. If it offended Tsunade, she didn't show it.

"Oh no real reason. Sensei asked me and Jiraiya to come back to the village for a bit." She replied. Orochimaru inwardly sighed. He had expected Hiruzen to send in some type of advanced recon team, but Tsunade and Jiraiya was certainly unexpected. Tsunade surprised her former teammate even more with her next announcement.

"We're having a nice little get-together later tonight at Ember Saplings. It's sort of a congratulations-slash-reunion sort of deal. You should come." Tsunade's smile was generous.

"Thank you, but you know I'm not a huge fan of those types of things." Orochimaru replied, leaving out his desire to avoid the drunken antics of his old teammates. Tsunade frowned.

"Come on, it'll be fun." Tsunade said. She looked Orochimaru in the eye, silently making it clear that she was not inviting the Sannin. He could either say yes and be rid of her, or decline and be stuck with her all day. And Orochimaru had things that he needed to do, preferably in private and certainly not in front of Tsunade.

"Very well then," Orochimaru sighed, at this point just wanting Tsunade gone. Thankfully, she disappeared after a final smile. Orochimaru seethed as he made his way over to a seemingly random tree and placed his hand upon it. With a gentle nudge of chakra, the tree seemed to jump and a seal appeared just under Orochimaru's feet. And just like that, he was in a completely different place.

The room was mostly bare, save for an operating table, complete with a horror-filled man with his mouth gagged and several painful looking instruments. Various volumes and books lined the walls, many of them written by Orochimaru himself. Ignoring the man who screamed as loud as he could with the rock rod in his mouth, Orochimaru picked up one of his more recent books, skimmed the pages, and then grabbed a scalpel before turning towards the man on the operating table, who began to move as much as he could against his restraints.

"Stop moving," Orochimaru growled, unleashing a quick GenJutus that mostly paralyzed the man. Then, a smile grew on Orochimaru's face. "You'll make me miss." He said as he moved closer. The man, Taka, or something like that, was a young man who was foolish enough to attempt to betray the Konoha-Ame 'alliance' and unlucky enough to be caught my Orochimaru. Consequently, he was now one of Orochimaru's many test subjects forced to sit idle as the Sannin searched for a way to enhance his physical durability. Already, Taka was far more durable than he was before his capture, but Orochimaru saw no point in stopping now

* * *

Ember Saplings was a nice restaurant, bragging that their food was exactly the same as what the first Hokage would during the First World War, when the Land of Fire was more like the Land of Embers and the Hidden Leaf was more like the Hidden Saplings. Whether or not it was true, the food was good and the restaurant itself was fairly high-end.

Orochimaru didn't have to look hard to find his party; Jiraiya was loudly boasting about his travels.

"And then all four of them suddenly turn on me! The bastards! Of course, they were no match for the great Jiraiya!" The toad sage practically shouted, much to the delight of the two young waitresses standing beside him. Tsunade rolled her eyes before catching Orochimaru. She waved him over and could see the apprehension in his eyes as we walked closer.

"Yo! Orochimaru! So the old man went and made you Hokage, huh?" Jiraiya asked loudly. He had been drinking, but for the most part was still fairly sober. Before Orochimaru had the chance to respond, he felt a hand clap his shoulder.

"Orochimaru, I'm glad you could make it." Hiruzen said gently before passing the younger man and sitting down beside Tsunade. Much to his annoyance, this left the only available seat next to Jiraiya. As his eyes locked with Hiruzen's, Orochimaru remembered their conversation from earlier that day.

_"Why?" Orochimaru asked, once he and Hiruzen were alone. Hiruzen sighed and paused momentarily before answering as he collected his thoughts.  
_

_"I meant what I said before, Orochimaru." The older said, turning to look at his former student. "Picking you is a massive gamble. You will be either Konoha's savior or you will be her reaper."_

_"That hardly answers my question-" _

_"I picked you, Orochimaru," Hiruzen continued as if Orochimaru had not even spoken; "because I believe that being responsible for this village will be good for you. You're like a son to me, and I want what's best for you. And these people - the ones you live with and fight for - are both going to be your greatest strength and your greatest weakness. I cannot tell you how to oversee this village. I can only hope and pray that you always think of the people."_

"Orochimaru! What're you drinking?" Jiraiya asked.

"Just water is fine. I'm sure you and Tsunade will drink enough to compensate for my lack of it. You always have." Orochimaru responded, causing Jiraiya to let out a boisterous laugh. Even Tsunade laughed before ordering another drink. The night continued for a few more hours, mostly with Jiraiya and Tsunade trading stories about their travels while Hiruzen and Orochimaru watched on. Several times, Orochimaru would glance at Hiruzen and wonder just what exactly was going through the old man's mind.

* * *

**Author's Corner: **

**First off, wow! Thank you guys so much for all the reviews, follows, and favourites! Y'all are amazing and I appreciate it a bunch. Now for the important stuff.  
**

**NOTE: There might be other pairings in this, but the two confirmed pairings right now are OrochimaruxTsunade and ShisuixItachi. I'm not much of a fluff writer and I don't intend to write anything explicit so yeah, romance isn't gonna be a big deal in this story but someone asked about yaoi so yeah.**

**NOTE: There is about a two-and-a-half year skip between this chapter and chapter 3. Don't worry, you're really only missing a bunch of politics and since I have very little knowledge of how that works, I'm just going to keep my dignity and leave that alone.**

**NOTE: Sorry if Orochimaru seems OOC in this. It's what I'm trying to do with his personality - like he's caught in this really weird position mentally so that's what I'm trying to portray. So yeah, sorry if it's coming off kinda awkward but if you'll just kinda bear with me while I work on this, hopefully it'll be worth it.**

**Thanks again so much for all the feedback and I hope you keep coming with it. Good luck in your writing and chapter 3 will be out probably next weekend if not sooner.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Part I: Episode 3**

It had been a long and frustrating two years since Orochimaru had been named Hiruzen's successor. Between the dozens of spies everywhere he went, missions, the meetings he was to attend, and paperwork, many of his experiments had either died or been cancelled; mostly the former. Hiding them was a major pain and a majority of the bodies were fed to Manda and those that lived, Orochimaru had to memory-wipe and then exile.

Orochimaru had to hide all of the information he had gathered and then double seal it away before setting fire to most of his labs. Danzo's Root, in particular, was beginning to grow bold. The Sannin would come back only to discover tiny footprints close to his various researching facilities and knew it would only be matter of time before someone stumbled onto something they shouldn' then there were his teammates. Since Orochimaru officially wasn't yet the Hokage, he was still sent on missions - often with Tsunade and/or Jiraiya for back-up. The frequency of these missions increased, causing Orochimaru to wonder if Hiruzen really did know about his secret experiments.

Orochimaru inwardly cursed as he walked away from the flames of one of his favourite labs, where had just recently made a breakthrough with Taka. Proud as he was at keeping the traitor alive as long as he did, Orochimaru loathed having to kill him. But there were too many ties connecting the two and the increased durability made complete amnesia all but impossible. Killing Taka, was next to impossible and Orochimaru hated watching Manda struggle to chew through the body.

"Orochimaru-san, is everything alright?" One of the guards at the village gate. Orochimaru silently groaned before looking the man in the eye. He was only a Chunin and a quick GenJutsu was simple for a man of Orochimaru's talents and just like that, he was walking through Konoha. He saw a few kids playing soccer, but noticed only two or three of them were actually Root children. The rest were just kids happy to have more people to play with.

The Sannin had been called to the Hokage's office for a war meeting - something that had been occurring more and more as the 3rd Ninja War began to reach its climax. Many of the smaller ninja villages had either been assimilated into the greater villages or been destroyed altogether. The relations between Konhagakure and Iwagakure had reached an all-time low and Konoha's relationship with Kumo was souring quickly, mostly due to the much publicized skirmish between Konoha's Minato and Kumo's A.

It didn't take long for Orochimaru to reach the Academy, but due to his difficulty with Taka, he was late. He quickly made his way upwards towards the office and entered the room just in time to say Minato say "-Rin, Uchiha Obito, and Hatake Kakashi along with me." The Sannin made no show of entering late and quickly slid into an empty seat. Hiruzen glanced at him before looking at Minato.

"I see. You're old genin squad. I see no problem with this. Orochimaru?" The third Hokage asked, looking toward his former charge. Orochimaru had grown used to Hiruzen randomly asking his opinion on matters such as this, often during meetings such as this. It irritated him, but he had learned to remain calm regardless.

"Two jounin, one of whom has been just promoted, and two skilled chunin. I presume this is for the Kannabi Bridge mission that you told me about recently. If that is the case, then this should be sufficient." Orochimaru responded coolly. Hiruzen nodded.

"Alright then, Minato, go get some rest. I would prefer if you left tomorrow at dawn, but as long as the mission is done within two weeks, you may do as you wish." With a quick and polite bow, Minato excused himself from the meeting and exited the room. Hiruzen then turned to face the rest of the committee. He was flanked by the rest of the Konoha Counil.

"Now onto the next item on our agenda: Kirigakure." Hiruzen stated. Danzo scoffed.

"Honestly, Hiruzen, I fail to understand why you care so much about Kiri. The village is at its own throat already. They will take themselves out of this war without us lifting a finger. We don't need to waste the resources." He declared. Hiruzen nodded slowly, genuinely thinking about the statement.

"Orochimaru?" Hiruzen asked. Orochimaru inwardly smirked as Danzo seethed. He was a proud man, and hated having his opinions questioned. Especially by the man who beat him for the title of Hokage. Orochimaru, on the other hand, had to admit that Danzo had a solid point. Kirigakure's inner turmoil was no secret and odds were that it would eventually self-destruct. But admitting Danzo was right was something Orochimaru was not keen on doing.

"Danzo-san has a legitimate point, sensei," Orochimaru began. Danzo's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "But perhaps, we should send a small group in for recon purposes if nothing else." A strange expression spread on Hiruzen's face, and Orochimaru had the sneaking suspicion the old man was proud to see Orochimaru participating.

"And who do you intend on sending Orochimaru? Our resources are spread thin as is!" Homura barked adamantly. Orochimaru glanced at him. He really hated the council members. Retiring them would be one of his first tasks as Hokage, preceded only by the disbanding of Danzo's damned Root.

"Have Nara Shikaku take Maito Gai, Sarutobi Asuma, and Kurenai Yuhi." At this, Hiruzen's face fell slightly, but Orochimaru ignored it. Danzo, however, did not.

"Hiruzen. Surely you did not intend on leaving your son here in Konoha while his fellow shinobi helped defend this village!" The man said, his eye narrowed challengingly. Hiruzen shot his old friend a look that could kill.

"Of course not. Besides, with Nara-san, I'm sure he will be fine. Thank you Orochimaru." Orochimaru nodded in response, his eyes watching Hiruzen. The man didn't seem annoyed at all. Worried, perhaps, about his son but not irritated with his student's decision. Orochimaru found himself wondering if they would be okay. After all, three of them were just kids.

Orochimaru then pulled himself from his thoughts. What did he care that they were just kids? It's not like they were anyone special. What did he care about this war? All he wanted was to become the Hokage so that he could get his hands on the hundreds of forbidden scrolls in the Hokage's mansion. The people of Konoha were of little importance compared to that. Orochimaru turned his focus back to the meeting.

* * *

The meeting had continued for about another hour, with Orochimaru and Danzo symbolically at each others' throats. Whenever one would make a statement, the other would counter it with an equally insightful statement. Hiruzen himself also participated in the debates. Surprisingly, however, the meeting was actually one of the more productive ones. Orochimaru found himself thinking about the things people could accomplish if they would work together despite their differences.

"Dammit." He hissed, pushing the thought from his mind. Maybe it was all of his meetings with Hiruzen, but this school of thought Orochimaru recently found himself apart of was irritating beyond belief. Orochimaru didn't care about such things like friendship and the like. He forced himself to think about the new technique he had been developing.

"Orochimaru," Tsunade called out, although her teammate didn't hear her. He was caught up in his thoughts, and probably wouldn't notice anything aside from an enemy coming towards him. And even that probably wouldn't completely pull him from his thoughts. Tsunade wondered if her teammate noticed that he was changing. Even if it was only slightly, she found herself thinking maybe Hiruzen was right. Maybe Orochimaru wasn't completely lost to the darkness.

"You know, staring is rude." A voice said suddenly, causing Tsunade to jump. She turned to see Jiraiya with a sly smile on his face. Tsunade rolled her eyes. Like herself, Jiraiya had been bought into the village to help Hiruzen keep an eye on Orochimaru prior to his ascension to Hokage. He normally inspected the labs that Orochimaru used. He did a fairly decent job, although Orochimaru kept anything incriminating under tight security.

"Shut up Jiraiya, I wasn't staring." She snapped. Jiraiya responded with a short laugh.

"Right and I wasn't staring when you tried to kill me." The toad sage responded sarcastically.

"If you want to go through the experience again, Jiraiya, just tell me. There's no need to beat around the bush." Tsunade threatened lightly. Jiraiya laughed as he held his hands up defensively. By this point, Orochimaru had noticed them but was walking the other way. Even after the past two years of being around each so much, Orochimaru still held his usual aloofness. Tsunade fumbled with grandfather's necklace and while Jiraiya said nothing, he couldn't help but notice.

"Well I'm gonna go do a bit more snooping. Orochimaru's been burning most of his labs. I guess the increased heat is starting to get too much." He said after a few silent seconds.

"What about the ones outside the village?" Tsunade asked. Jiraiya sighed.

"Well he hasn't really been able to visit them much. Most of the poor bastards are dead and those that are strong enough to have banded together and broken out. Odds are, there coming for him. I almost feel bad for the poor guys. You dig anything up?" Jiraiya asked. Tsunade shook her head.

"Nothing much. He's modified himself slightly, but I can't give any specific without doing an examination. I can tell you that his cell growth seems to have increased slightly and his skin is more elastic than the average human's, but that's about it." Jiraiya nodded.

"So he's still experimenting on himself then. I guess that's better than kidnapping prisoners."

"Yeah." Tsunade said, still fumbling with her necklace.

* * *

**Author's Corner: **

**Well there's another chapter done. There's going to be another time skip between this chapter and the next, this one being one year. Part I is going to have a few more chapters in it, but like I said before, it's mostly going to be a prologue sort of thing. So, it's starting to wrap up. Anyway, just as a preview, next chapter we meet the mysterious masked man. Also, thanks for the feedback on Orochimaru, I really appreciate it.**

**Once again, thank you everyone for reading and please leave reviews telling me what I can improve, any corrections on my timeline/research, or even better just general compliments. You guys are the best and thanks for reading. Also, for all you writers out there, I wish you the best of luck with your writing.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Part I: Episode 4**

_Nine Months Ago  
_

_It was dark outside, Minato noticed, even though it was just a few hours past noon. This was going to be a pretty big storm. Minato laughed at the irony. His name, Namikaze, sort of meant storm and here, on the night of a massive storm, a new Namikaze had been announced. Kushina was ecstatic when she told him and her hair seemed even brighter than usual._

_"Namikaze Naruto," Minato tested his son's name out loud. He liked the sound of it. Of course, Kushina wasn't too pleased to be stuck on C- and D-rank missions for a year, but Minato wouldn't dare have his wife bashing in heads with a baby inside her, even if she wasn't even a month pregnant yet. _

_"Maybe I could let her go on a few. As long as I'm there." Minato thought aloud. He was interrupted from his thoughts by a knock at his door. He frowned, but went to the door anyway. To his surprise, a 13-year-old jonin stood in the doorway, drenched in rain._

_"Sensei," Kakashi asked in a sad voice. He didn't have to finish his request before Minato let him in. _

_"Minato, who's there?" Kushina asked as she descended down the stairs. Before Minato could answer, she was in the kitchen and saw Kakashi dripping wet. Without pause she quickly went back up to get some towels. Neither Minato nor his student said anything while they waited. Kushina appeared soon after and began draping the towels over Kakashi, who offered no assistance. Even though only one eye was showing, Kushina could see the pain the boy was in was overwhelming._

_Gently, Minato stretched his arm over the boy's shoulders and pulled him. Tears began to well up in his visible eye._

_"I'm sorry sensei. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough." Kakashi said before he broke down into sobs. The rest of the evening was spent in relative silence, the only sounds breaking the quiet were Kakashi's sobs and the soothing words of Kushina and Minato._

* * *

The village seemed busier than usual today, Orochimaru noticed. Of course, he rarely came out into the village so for all he knew this might have been normal. Still there was a buzz in the crowd that he definitely perceived as new.

"It's because of Kushina's baby," Tsunade informed him, noticing the Hokage's analyzing expression. He gave her that pseudo-irritated/confused expression he would always give when Tsunade would explain the villagers' sentimentality. It was cute, Tsunade noted, how for all his brilliance, Orochimaru barely understood people.

"It's just a baby," Orochimaru responded after a few seconds, much to Tsunade's surprise. Orochimaru rarely asked for more insight into the lives of his villagers. Tsunade decided just to answer. Any teasing and there would be no telling if she ever got an opportunity like this.

"It's not _just_ a baby. It's Kushina and Minato's baby. They're really popular around the village and it's really nice to see them starting a family." Tsunade didn't notice the longing in her voice until after she had spoke, but Orochimaru seemed too busy trying to understand people to have noticed. Or maybe he just didn't want to bring it up. It was always impossible to tell just how much Orochimaru noticed. Sometimes, it was as if he saw and heard everything.

"They should be focused on more important things than a baby that isn't even theirs'." Orochimaru said finally, causing Tsunade to laugh. Orochimaru glanced at her briefly before he continued towards his office. Tsunade stifled another laugh and then inwardly cursed herself for feeling like a schoolgirl.

When the duo arrived at the Ninja Academy, they were met with a very severe looking Hiruzen standing in front of the doorway. His face only grew more somber as they approached and the silent message was clear. A meeting had been called.

It was a quick and silent task as the three made their way to the meeting room. Within seconds, everyone had been seated with Orochimaru sitting in the front of the room. The Konoha Council had grown quickly since Orochimaru had taken his place as Hokage. He attempted to remove Homura and Koharu from their positions, but the amount of red tape combined with their knowledge of the political system made the task a long and arduous one. What Orochimaru did manage, thanks mostly to Hiruzen, was expand the council to include both his former sensei and his former teammates.

Unfortunately, before the expansion, Koharu and Homura had succeeded in getting Danzo into the position of Jonin Commander, meaning he had to be present at all meetings. Their infatuation with the man was something Orochimaru loathed. At least he had gotten rid of Danzo's damned Root program, which had only intensified the disdain between the two.

"What is this meeting about?" Orochimaru asked, starting off the meeting. He had not been told of anything, which meant this was likely an emergency meeting.

"Surely you've heard the rumors about Uchiha Madara?" Koharu asked, causing Orochimaru's eyes to shift to her.

"What about them?" Orochimaru asked. Of course he had heard about them, but he was a scientist. Baseless rumors meant nothing to him.

"What do you mean what about them? If what we've been hearing is true, then a very dangerous and very powerful man with a strong grudge against Konohagakure is running loose!" Homura snapped. Orochimaru turned his infamously cold glance towards the older man, silencing him. Orochimaru then turned to Jiraiya, who had become something of his go-to man when it came to getting information about the world outside of Konoha.

"Do you believe it's really him, Jiraiya?" The white-haired toad sage said nothing for a while.

"I haven't actually seen the guy of course, but from what I've heard, it could be the real deal. However, there haven't really been too many sightings of him. A few treasures stolen here and there and a few pretty heavy assassinations, but that's it. Only one person is claiming to have even seen the man's Sharingan and he's...well less than in a state of reliability." Orochimaru scowled. For even Jiraiya to have this little information meant that this man, whether he was Madara or not, was good at sneaking around. Too good.

"If I may, Hokage-sama," Danzo said suddenly, his voice mocking and an angry smile in his eyes.

* * *

"The vitality of the Uzumaki clan truly is remarkable. Even having the Nine-Tails ripped out of you didn't kill you. I suppose it's for the best. It's only right that the fox get to kill its former jinchuriki." The masked man said in his horribly deep voice. Kushina stared at the massive creature in front of her, fear being the only thing blocking her pain. She hadn't even been an hour out of childbirth when this madman pulled the fox from inside her.

As despicable as he was, the masked man was right. The only reason Kushina was still alive was because of the Uzumaki blood within her. Not that it mattered now. The fox's massive paw was quickly closing in on her. She closed her eyes, seeing only Minato and Naruto. Suddenly, she felt an odd yet familiar sensation. As if she was flying through water.

Kushina opened her eyes and she was in a mostly empty room. The first thing she saw was her son, lying on the floor sleeping, completely oblivious to the chaos surrounding him. She then looked up to see her husband, who had never looked so handsome and so heroic.

"Minato...that man...he's going after Konoha. You have to stop him." Kushina said, her breathing labored from the pain she was in. Her eyes fell back on Naruto and, for a second, all of the pain was gone.

"I'll be back before you know it, Kushina. You and Naruto just stay here." And just like that, Minato was gone. Kushina struggled not to cry, but the tears fell from her eyes defiantly. She curled herself around Naruto for comfort.

* * *

"How is this possible? What happened to Kushina's seal?" One of the ANBU ninja asked Hiruzen, who had already gotten into his battle outfit. He replied to the ninja with a grim silence. He then summoned Enma, who instantly went into his staff form.

"Evacuate as many people as you can." Hiruzen ordered. With a quick informative, the ANBU ninja was gone and Hiruzen was after the massive fox that had suddenly appeared in the village. Hiruzen's heart bled for the people that had been instantly killed when the demon fox had appeared, but he pushed that out of his mind. Hiruzen watched as the fox's head turned towards the Hokage Monument and then a massive ball of chakra began to form in its mouth. A sigh of relief escaped the old man's lips when the chakra ball disappeared. Just barely, he could make out Minato standing on the stone copy of the 2nd Hokage's head.

Then, there was a sudden flurry, and the blur was gone. Wherever Minato was went was suddenly unimportant, Hiruzen decided as he turned to face the demon.

* * *

"Are you truly Uchiha Madara?" Minato asked, keeping the awe out of his voice. It didn't matter who it was. This was the man who threatened his child and harmed his wife.

"Who I am is irrelevant. I desire to bring peace, Yellow Flash-san, even if it is through war." Minato snapped and charged towards the masked man, only to go right through him. Suddenly he found himself wrapped in a chain and barely managed to escape before the man yanked the chain back. Minato glared at the man, his mind racing. Where was the Hokage? Who was this man and how could Minato beat him?

_I have to kill him now. Whether or not he is truly Madara, he's far too dangerous to leave alive. _Minato thought as the masked man suddenly began to charge. Minato's mind was racing. How could he fight a man he couldn't touch. And then he realized. Minato began to charge too and threw a kunai. As expected, the weapon went right through the man's head. Minato blinked and he was suddenly behind the masked man, Rasengan in hand.

Somehow, the man wasn't dead, although the Rasengan had done its job. Blood dripped from his shoulder and he was completely unable to react when Minato appeared in front of him again. The man barely managed to dodge another attack and looked back at Minato.

"Should you really be here, wasting time with me?" The man asked, arrogance laced in his voice.

"The demon fox is no longer under your control." Minato stated. The man was silent for a few seconds.

"You definitely are a talented ninja. You easily could have been the Fourth Hokage. But don't you worry. The fox, along with the rest of the world, will one day be under my control. Many doors are still left open to me." The man said before he vanished. Minato stared at the spot where the man once stood. Suddenly a roar bought him back to reality.

"The village!" Minato cried out before disappearing. The blond managed to arrive just in time to summon Gamabunta, effectively cutting off the fox's next attack. And just like that, both the fox and the beast were gone.

"Minato! What are you doing?!" Hiruzen shouted, even though it was pointless to do so. He saw a massive explosion in the distance and without hesitation started running, giving explicit instructions to everyone nearby to hold their ground. Hiruzen had only gotten a few feet when a shadow shot past him.

"That Danzo bastard, what was he thinking?!" Tsunade exclaimed as she suddenly appeared slightly in front of Hiruzen. Orochimaru appeared as well, rushing towards the Nine-Tails. He was silent as usual, but Hiruzen could swear he saw a hint of anger on his former student's face.

* * *

"Minato, I'm gonna drag that damn fox back inside me and die with it. If nothing else, that will keep it away for a while. With the little chakra I have left, I'll save you both. Thank you, for everything." Minato looked at his wife, mouth agape.

"What? No!" He exclaimed. "You're my wife! He's my son! I won-"

"Don't be so upset Minato. I'm happy. Happy that you loved me," Kushina said, smiling even through the immense amount of pain she was in. Minato could see that she was barely able to stay conscious as she was, between forcing herself to ignore the pain as well holding back the Nine-Tails with her chakra chains. Even for an Uzumaki, Minato could tell that she was nearing her limits.

"Kushina..." Minato said, cutting off his wife. The red-haired kunoichi looked up and was taken back by the sudden conviction in his eyes. "You don't have to take that fox with you. If I seal the last bit of your chakra in Naruto with an Eight Trigrams Seal, we'll be able to see him one last time. And then...I'll use the Dead Demon Summoning Seal." Minato explained, causing Kushina to fully awaken in shock.

"Are you insane? If you do that, you'll die Minato!"

"I know, but I can't let the Kyubi be fully revived. It's too powerful. So I'll use the technique to seal half the fox's chakra with me inside the Shinigami. And I'll put the other half in Naruto." Kushina marveled as her husband stood up and began to form the hand seals.

"Minato..."

"Have some faith in our son, Kushina. He'll be fine." Minato said as he completed the technique and the Shinigami appeared behind him.

"Stop! Why are you sacrificing yourself, Minato?! Why are you going to leave Naruto alone?! He'll have no one, don't you understand? For one child to carry such a burden...that's why I wanted you to stay here with him. To guide him, Minato," Kushina's voice grew progressively softer as she spoke. She knew what Minato's answer would be.

"Abandoning the village or abandoning the baby, which is worse, I wonder? Besides, I can't substitute for you, Kushina. No one can, you're his mother. When we're both gone, you'll have to tell him things that only you'll be able to. That's why I'm doing this Kushina. For Naruto." Minato's eyes were so gentle, Kushina laughed at the idea they belonged to the man who was about to give his life for the village.

The Shinigami's hand began to move and Kushina watched as it lunged for Minato's chest. Then she something, just the faintest flicker of something reflecting moonlight. The Shinigami's hand dissipated and and Kushina turned her head to see the Hokage flanked on either side by one of the Sannin.

"Hey you two, don't be so quick to throw away your lives!" Jiraiya said, suddenly officially announcing the arrival of Team Sarutobi.

* * *

**Author's Corner:**

**Random fact, this is actually like the third time I'm editing this chapter. I couldn't decide how much of the actual story I wanted to put in here, but I figured I'd just go ahead and add in the whole Death summoning thing, just to add drama. So yes, the Sannin (and Hiruzen) have officially arrived. But how do they intend to stop the demon fox?**

**Also, can we stop for a minute and check out that mad foreshadowing I did. My English teacher would be so proud! Anyway, that's enough of that.**

**As usual you guys, thanks a bunch for the reviews, follows, and favorites. Stay awesome, my friends.**

**PS. I totally did post, delete, then repost this chapter. Forgot to give it a last read through.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Part I: Episode 5**

"J-Jiraiya-san?!" Kushina exclaimed, involuntarily. She then felt a jolt go up her spine and turned to see an enraged Tsunade standing behind her.

"You idiots!" She shouted, clearly talking to Kushina and Minato. "Were you really going to throw your lives away? For what? The safety of the village? Dammit Minato, be selfish for once in your life! You two...your son isn't even a day old and you were both ready to sentence to such a cruel fate." Tsunade said, her shoulders shaking.

"Tsunade-san..." Minato breathed. Even her old teammates looked taken back by Tsunade's sudden burst of emotion. Once she had managed to somewhat compose herself, Tsunade looked directly at Kushina, but somehow, she made it clear that she was yelling at Minato too.

"Do you know how many families have been torn apart tonight? They had no choice but to see their children and parents ripped from this world into the next without even saying good-bye, and you...you ingrates were just going to throw your family away?! You should be ashamed of yourselves! Being a parent..." Tsunade stopped again, this time unable to keep the tears from escaping her eyes.

"Being a parent is a higher honor than anything! Even if you have nothing else, live for your family! As long as you have that, everything else, it'll work out." Tsunade's eyes softened as she looked at Kushina and extended her hand. Slowly, painfully, the younger woman stood up. A roar bought the group back to reality. Kushina realized that the jolt she felt earlier must have been Tsunade breaking her chakra chains. The massive fox growled before it began charging a massive ball of dark red chakra from its mouth.

"**Ultra Big-Ball Rasengan**!" Jiraiya's voice shouted. There was a flash and suddenly a gargantuan version of Minato's Rasengan collided into the Kyubi. Kushina involuntarily jumped when the demon fox was sent tumbling sideways. The Shinigami that Minato had summoned slowly began to fade away, somehow looking irritated at having been summoned for no reason.

"What the-?" He said when a figure suddenly appeared before him. It looked gross and misshapen, but Minato recognized the mane of white hair that traveled down the figure's back. He also recognized the two shapes on the figure's shoulders as toads.

"J-Jiraiya-san?" Minato said, stunned. The figure groaned.

"Minato, get your wife and kid outta here. Sorry about the wait, Danzo apparently thought it was a good idea to stay back for some reason." Jiraiya explained. Minato looked at his former teacher, not even noticing the Nine-Tails slowly beginning to rise again.

"But why would Danzo-"

"He wanted you to seal the Kyubi into your son." A voice suddenly stated, much to Minato's surprise. He turned to see Orochimaru, dressed in the Hokage's robe along with Hiruzen. As usual, Orochimaru had a cold calculating look in his eyes. Minato looked in the direction Orochimaru was and saw the seal he had prepared.

"Danzo knew the only way the fox could be stopped without us is if it were sealed into a jinchuriki. He was planning on using you, Minato, to create a jinchuriki that could then serve as a weapon for Konoha. I see that now." Minato looked at Hokage, stunned. Had Danzo really planned all this out?

"Minato, get Kushina and your son and get them out of here. Now! Leave the fox to us!" Tsunade ordered as purple markings began to appear all over her face and neck. Minato nodded, but before he could move, Orochimaru grabbed him by the arm and handed him a piece of paper.

"If I don't return, you will be the Fifth Hokage." He said.

"B-But-"

"Go, Minato." Orochimaru said evenly. Minato slowly nodded and rushed over to where his wife and child were. Carefully, he scooped Naruto in his arms and then allowed Kushina to climb onto his back. He made his way out of the battlefield quickly, not knowing when the fox would strike again or where.

"Orochimaru, do you really believe that Danzo-"

"You know him far better than I do, sensei." Orochimaru said coldly. Hiruzen let out a deep sigh.

"Tsunade," Orochimaru called out before placing his palms on the ground. Hiruzen jumped to the side as a giant snake appeared under Orochimaru. Similarly, Tsunade summoned Katsuyu to battle her.

"Jiraiya, get out of the way!" Tsunade ordered, much to Jiraiya's annoyance. Regardless, he moved to the side. He needed to remain still in order to recharge the natural energy for sage mode anyway. Hiruzen stood beside him and watched as Orochimaru and Tsunade rode their summons into battle. He had understood Orochimaru's silent order to stand back. The Kyubi's endurance was nearly endless and there was little doubt that it would outlast the two summons. That's when Hiruzen would enter the battle.

"Orochimaru, I demand-"

"Now isn't the time, Manda." Orochimaru said, cutting off the giant purple snake. Before Manda could respond, the Kyubi threw a massive paw and the snake was forced to lunge to the side in order to dodge. Both he and Katsuyu launched an acid spray attack, but the fox managed to dodge the bulk of the acid. Without leaving it time to react, Manda surged forward, fangs bared.

"Manda, if you attempt to bite the Nine-Tailed Fox-"

"Shut the hell up, Orochimaru. I can feel how evil this thing's chakra from here," the snake growled. In under a second, it had surrounded the Kyubi and with a jump, Manda jumped out of his former skin. The shed skin then coiled around the fox and even from a considerable distance, Hiruzen could hear the cracking of the Kyubi's bodies under the pressure.

"Katsuyu, attack now while the Nine-Tails is unable to move!" Tsunade ordered.

"Yes ma'am, Tsunade-sama!" Katsuyu responded before launching another spray of acid. The fox roared, launching another ball of chakra at the acid.

"Tsunade-sama!" The giant slug exclaimed as the chakra ball easily burned through the acid. Tsunade nodded and jumped off her summon. Katsuyu could easily take the attack, but Tsunade would be less fortunate. Without skipping a beat, Tsunade charged the fox, activating her Strength of a Hundred technique. In one quick motion, she jumped forward and slammed her fist into the fox's side.

The Nine-Tails let out a pained roar as it tumbled to the side. Tsunade gave it no time to recover, launching another punch and then another. The fox howled loudly as Tsunade continued to wail on its side until she was no longer able to take the burning and returned to Katsuyu. Tsunade looked down at her hands, which were already nearly healed. Still, she knew she wouldn't last long using TaiJutsu against the beast. The fox began to charge another ball of chakra when several blasts of wind were sent careening into it, sending the Kyubi sliding backwards.

Angrily, the beast broke through Manda's shed-skin barrier and opened its mouth towards the sky. Before either Orochimaru or Tsunade could react, however, it launched chakra ball after chakra ball after chakra ball. Within seconds, most of the battlefield was completely destroyed. Hiruzen and Jiraiya had barely managed to move out of the way.

"Dammit!" Manda roared as he forced himself out of the damaged skin he was in. Even with his speed, he had barely managed to get underground before the Kyubi's assault and most of his back half had been scalded by the demon fox's chakra. On the opposite side of the fox, Tsunade slowly climbed out of Katsuyu who had been able to take much of the assault.

"I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama, I can't-"

"Don't worry, Katsuyu, you did great. Thank you for your help." With that said, Tsunade felt Katsuyu vanish and let herself fall to the ground. In the distance, she could hear Manda's cursing and threatening Orochimaru with all types of punishments before he too vanished. Quickly, Tsunade made her way back to Hiruzen and Jiraiya. Despite herself, she was actually having fun. For the first time in decades, she was fighting with her old teammates against a legitimately powerful enemy. Part of her almost wished that there was someone to witness the epic battle.

"I'm guessing it's time for phase two of the battle?" Jiraiya asked, clearly itching to fight again. Even Hiruzen looked ready to have his go at the fox.

"Prepare yourselves," Orochimaru said somberly as the the ground began to shake. The fox was coming. The four shinobi held their ground for a few more minutes and then charged forward. Hiruzen jumped into the air, his staff prepared. He swung it and the staff extended to at least ten times its normal length, slamming into the Kyubi's head.

"**Doton: Swamp of the Underworld**!" There was a splash as the Kyubi suddenly dropped into the mud created by Jiraiya who quickly went to work, launching a massive fireball towards the fox, who was unable to block the attack. With a roar, it forced itself out of the swamp and sent its tail towards Jiraiya, only for it to be stopped by Tsunade dropping her signature kick on the appendage.

"**Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu**" Orochimaru chanted softly, summoning an army of clones. The clones rushed forward, until they were closer to literally jump onto the fox. With a command from the original, the dozens of clones exploded, causing the Kyubi to cry out in pain before responding with an even larger version of its chakra ball. All four of the Konoha ninja were sent flying backwards and the fox launched another volley of chakra balls towards them.

"Shit, it's like we're not doing anything to him!" Tsunade shouted, once the volley had ended. Like her teammates, she had just managed to avoid the attacks themselves, although the resulting explosions had sent her flying all over the place. She winced as he skin slowly stitched itself back together. As the smoke cleared, she could see her teammates beginning to rise as well.

"I see tales of the demon fox's power certainly have not been exaggerated. We'll need an army if we truly intend on defeating this monster." Hiruzen said before launching into a coughing fit. He was beginning to feel his age catch up with him when Orochimaru spoke up.

"No, I have a plan. We just need to weaken him some more." Orochimaru stated. Jiraiya looked at him incredulously.

"Are you insane, Orochimaru? We've barely dented it as is! You want us to keep fighting it?! Sensei is right, we'll need the rest of Konoha if we hope to stand a chance at stopping this thing!" Orochimaru silenced his teammate with a glare before turning back to the fox.

"I need you to trust me Jiraiya." He said in his usual cool and calculated tone. Jiraiya sighed.

"Dammit Orochimaru, you better have a good plan."

"Glad you guys have gotten over your little lover's quarrel because here it comes!" Tsunade announced as the fabled Kyubi no Kitsune again appeared before them.

* * *

**Author's Corner:**

**This chapter is really short, I know. As it so happens, this chapter wasn't originally in the story so it was just kind of made up as I went if it fell kind of flat, that's probably why. I kind of wanted to extend the Kyubi arc just a little bit, so this was the result. Anyway, hope you liked it. If so, leave a review if you'd be so kind and have awaiting the next chapter. As always, thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites. Y'all are the best!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Part I: Episode 6  
**

"N-Namikaze-san!?" One of the Konoha guards exclaimed as the man known as Konoha's Yellow Flash slowly walked to the gate with Kushina hanging on his back and a baby in his hands.

"Let me in! My wife needs to get to a hospital!" Minato shouted. Without a pause, the gates were opened and Minato went in as fast as he could carrying both his half-conscious wife and his newborn son.

"Namikaze-san, we can't promise you'll find a doctor. I understand that your wife just gave birth, but a lot of people were injured in the Kyubi's attack." Minato took what was supposed to be a steady breath, but failed.

"Don't worry Minato," Kushina whispered softly. "I'll be, fine." She managed before she fell asleep again. He could feel his breathing quicken, despite his attempts to remain calm.

"Sensei!" A voice called out and Minato turned to see Kakashi coming towards him with a few of the other ninja his age. And close behind walked Danzo and the rest of the Konoha Council. As Minato looked at him, Orochimaru's words echoed in his head. Was Danzo really planning on having Minato sacrifice himself for a human weapon? Minato composed himself as the man drew close enough to be spoken to.

"Minato? What are you doing here? Where is Orochimaru?" He demanded. If he was surprised that Minato was still alive and had not sacrificed any members of his family, Danzo didn't show it. Minato blinked a few times to straighten his thoughts before replying.

"He's fighting the Kyubi along with Sandaime-sama, Tsunade-san, and Jiraiya-san." Danzo's eyes narrowed when Minato spoke up again. "Hokage-sama told me to say he wanted no interference." Danzo bore into Minato and even with one eye, the pressure was almost tangible.

"Sensei, do you need help?" Kakashi asked as he held his hands out. Minato looked at the boy and gently let him hold the baby. Despite his situation, Minato couldn't help but smile at the way Kakashi marveled at Naruto.

"I'll go try to find a medic who's free." One of the younger shinobi, a girl with red eyes, stated. A pale arm grabbed her, however, before she could move.

"Kushina!" Minato exclaimed as his wife struggled to stand. Once she had accomplished that, she smiled to the girl.

"Don't worry, I have a very strong life force. The medic-nin and doctors need to worry about the villagers first. I'll be fine. I just need rest." Kushina said. She then fell backwards, being caught by Minato. The girl looked between Kushina, Minato, and Danzo rapidly.

"She's correct, Kurenai." Danzo said, his face an unreadable mask. "One of the things the Uzumaki clan is known for is their incredible life energy. Even in her current state, I'm sure Kushina-san here is in better shape than most of the villagers. She'll be fine." Danzo then turned to Minato.

"Get her and your son to a hospital and then get to work. There are still multiple villagers that need help and your abilities will be greatly appreciated." Danzo ordered, going into Jonin Commander mode. Minato nodded slowly and scooped his wife up bridal-style. He looked at Kakashi, who was holding his son as if the baby was made of glass.

"Come on Kakashi," Minato said and the two slowly and carefully made their way to the nearest medical station.

* * *

"This bastard is really tough, isn't he?" Tsunade remarked as she appeared by Hiruzen, who launched a few more fireballs from his mouth. Within seconds, both Orochimaru and Jiraiya appeared beside them.

"I'm not even sure we're doing anything," Jiraiya announced. Both he and the toads on his shoulders seemed exhausted and the rest of the team was not faring much better. For a while no one said anything.

"No, he's definitely weakening. His movements are several times slower than before and it's stopped using that rapid fire chakra blast it was using before. I suppose even for a creature of near infinite chakra, something like that would be draining." Hiruzen stated matter-of-factly.

The Kyubi threw one of its paws towards the team, and Tsunade just barely managed to swat it away. Jiraiya then leaped into the air, his fingers combining expertly into hand seals.

"**Suiton: Gunshot!" **Jiraiya shouted before launching a massive ball of water out of his mouth. The Kyubi hissed as it stumbled backwards. Before it could fully recover, Tsunade launched towards it and delivered a brutal punch which Orochimaru followed with a massive wind style technique.

"Sensei!" Orochimaru shouted. Hiruzen, however was already forming the hand seals.

"**Katon: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet**"

"**Futon: Great Breakthrough**" Orochimaru shouted as soon as the flaming dragon erupted from Hiruzen's mouth. Orochimaru's attack combined perfectly with his sensei's causing the flame dragon to nearly double in size as it collided into the Nine-Tails. The Sannin and Hiruzen regrouped just as one of the Kyubi's tails flew towards them.

With a smack, all four of the Konoha shinobi were sent flying backwards. Without pause, the Kyubi launched another chakra ball which Jiraiya and Orochimaru countered with a combination technique of their own. Tsunade went into her own series of hand seals.

"**Doton: Great Earth Dumpling**!" Tsunade chanted as she lifted a massive ball of rock and launched it towards the fox. The Kyubi obliterated it with a swipe of its tail. It then roared, causing the very earth around them to shake.

"Dammit, this is ridiculous. Our best attacks are doing nothing!" Jiraiya stated as Tsunade slammed her hands on the ground.

"**Slug Technique: Acid Spray**!" She cried out as acid shot from the ground like a geyser. The Kyubi hissed in pain and jumped backwards. Without hesitating, Jiraiya chased after it with his hand outstretched.

"**Ultra Big-Ball Rasengan**!" The massive ball of chakra slammed into the Kyubi, legitimately sending it sliding backwards. Hiruzen wasted no time in going on the offensive himself. Just as he finished, the hand seals, however, he was pulled upwards just in time to avoid one of the fox's tails. The fox howled as massive rock pillars shot from underneath like brutal rock uppercuts.

Almost as if by reaction, the fox launched one of his chakra balls. And then launched two more on either side of the original.

"**Triple Rashoumon**!" Orochimaru slammed his palms into the ground as three of the disturbing gates shot up from the ground. Each gate shattered like they were pieces of ceramic.

"Everyone together! **Great Fireball Jutsu**!" Hiruzen shouted. All four ninja launched a massive fireball from their mouths that combined into one big fireball, but was countered by a swipe of the Kyubi's paw. It let out a growl, but whether or not it was from pain, the ninja had no way of knowing.

"We're throwing everything at this behemoth and nothing!" Jiraiya exclaimed. He was breathing hard and it was clear that Sage Mode was beginning to take its toll.

"How do you plan on defeating this thing, Orochimaru? Surely you're not intending on just smashing it to death!?" Tsunade exclaimed. Orochimaru remained silent, just watching the beast. The Kyubi wasn't attacking. He was merely staring. Cautiously, Orochimaru stepped forward causing the beast to roar.

"I've been tagging you with chakra-draining seals since we've started fighting, you no longer threaten me, fox." Orochimaru hissed coldly. The Kyubi growled menacingly, but still didn't attack. Tsunade noticed that its breathing was incredibly labored.

"Where is Uchiha Madara?" Orochimaru demanded. The fox growled again, but Orochimaru didn't flinch. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hiruzen simply watched as Orochimaru stared down the beast until finally, surprisingly, it lowered its massive head. When it talked, its voice was deep and raspy.

"The one who controlled me was not Madara." The foxed growled.

"As I thought," Orochimaru responded.

"Well I'll be damned, the Kyubi really can talk. I thought that was just a myth." Jiraiya said with a laugh. Tsunade rolled her eyes although she too was surprised that the beast was talking. And that it knew that its controller was not Madara. But then, who else had that sort of power?

"Kyubi no Kitsune," Orochimaru said loudly, causing everyone to pay attention to him. The fox tilted its head slightly and moved closer. By now Orochimaru was easily within biting distance, but showed no fear or even any sign of being uncomfortable. It was as if Orochimaru were standing face with just an average person.

"Would you be willing to make a deal?" Orochimaru asked. Tsunade couldn't tell if the creature was laughing, in pain, or growling as the sound it made seemed to be a mixture of the three.

"What? Orochimaru are you insane?" She snapped, although Orochimaru ignored her.

"What could a human possibly offer me? I could crush your village just as easily as you could squash a bug." The fox responded arrogantly. Orochimaru said nothing, but he knew the fox was right. Even now, exhausted and covered in chakra draining seals, the Kyubi could still easily destroy the village if it wanted to. But curiosity and exhaustion kept the fox where it was and Orochimaru knew that as soon as it was ready, the fight would be back on.

"I can offer protection from the Sharingan and the masked man," Orochimaru shot back coolly. The fox made another odd noise, although this one clearly indicated curiosity. Orochimaru offered no further information, waiting on the Nine-Tails to speak.

"How exactly, would you accomplish something like that? The Sharingan is the direct descendent of the Rinnegan of the Sage. How can a mere man like you possibly defend a creature like me against such a thing?" The fox asked, his voice booming and echoing - a sure sign that he was beginning to gain his strength. Jiraiya noticed, but said nothing.

"However, you will be unable to move," Orochimaru continued, as if the fox hadn't even spoken. "Your power and freedom will be lost in exchange for this protection. So tell me, demon fox, will it be worth it?" The Kyubi growled and then stopped, regarding Orochimaru. It then literally roared with laughter. The fox then quickly lowered his head to Orochimaru's level.

"Again, human, how do you intend to accomplish such a feat? Would you seal me within yourself? Protect me using your pathetic skills? Is that what you intend to do? Foolish human! You are weak! You are nothing! How dare you try to make a deal with me, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox!" The Kyubi howled as it raised his head towards the sky and began to charge one of its chakra blasts.

"Orochi-" Tsunade began when something shimmered towards the fox. Suddenly the chakra ball dispersed and the fox was suddenly bellowing in pain. Tsunade looked at Orochimaru and suddenly saw a sword in his hand.

"The Kusangi..." Hiruzen said, awestruck at the legendary weapon. The fox raised its paw and the sword once again extended forward at an impossible speed, slicing deep into the creature's forearm. It roared again. Orochimaru bought the sword back to its normal length and placed it against his body.

"**Secret Technique: Renjin**," Orochimaru's voice was calm and even. Tsunade watched and it seemed nothing was happening. The fox then let out a pitiful sounding cry of pain and when Tsunade turned to look at it, the fox was covered in blood. Its own blood.

"Orochimaru, what was that?" Jiraiya exclaimed, awestruck.

"It's one of the abilities of the Kusangi sword. It's a simple attack really. The blade just extends and retracts hundreds of times in succession. Devastating all the same however." Orochimaru explained. He took another step towards the fox.

"Kyubi no Kitsune, I'm afraid I was not giving you much choice. It would be far too troublesome to allow you to do as you please. As you can plainly see, as long as the Sharingan is around, you will always wind up as a tool for someone's purposes. Let me make this perfectly clear: Accept my offer or you will die here." Hiruzen couldn't help but be impressed by his former pupil. Still, the man was bluffing a storm. Even with the Kusangi's ability, the fox was still far too powerful for the four of them. Tsunade's arms were burned and bloody even through her Strength of a Hundred technique and there was no Jiraiya could keep up the Sage Form for much longer before he collapsed. Plus Hiruzen himself was getting old. He couldn't keep fighting at this level forever.

"You arrogant bastard. You dare to order the Nine-Tails?!" The fox roared. It attempted to rise, but Orochimaru launched his Renjin attack against the creature's leg, causing the beast to collapse to the ground. It growled for what seemed like ten minutes, but finally lowered its head to the ground.

"Good now-" Orochimaru began when the fox opened its mouth and a chakra ball began to form.

"Orochimaru!" Hiruzen cried. The Hokage cursed as his fingers went flying. Hiruzen watched as the ball grew larger. Orochimaru slammed his hand into the ground. Tsunade and Jiraiya charged the fox from the side and both Sannin slammed their fists into the beast's face just as the Rashoumon gate rose in front of Orochimaru. There was an explosion that easily shattered the gate although Orochimaru himself seemed to have disappeared.

Once the smoke cleared, the Kyubi was growling through a likely broken jaw. The Rashoumon gate was obliterated and Orochimaru was nowhere to be found. And then, suddenly, the ground where the Sannin once stood began to stir. Hiruzen watched, awestruck, as the Kusangi launched from the ground and made a massive circle. He then watched as Orochimaru slowly rose up via a rising pillar of rock. Blood was pouring from his head and shoulder and the Hokage robe he had been wearing was completely ruined.

Leaving barely anytime for anyone to rejoice that Orochimaru was alive, the Sannin began launching into another series of handseals.

"**Sealing Art: Knowledge of Ten Thousand Things**," Orochimaru exclaimed as he slammed his hands on the ground. Suddenly a seal underneath him appeared underneath him and began glowing a painfully bright blue.

"Jiraiya, Tsunade, move away from the fox! Now!" Orochimaru ordered. No sooner had the two moved, an identical seal began glowing under the fox's chin. Its eyes shot wide open in surprise.

"What do you think you're doing human!?" It roared, although its words were slightly off due to its jaw. The demon fox then howled as small scripts began to appear over its body, starting with its head. The fox's chakra began to take on a tangible form as the chakra draining tags started to fall off.

"Orochimaru, are you mad? You can't possibly think to absorb all this chakra at once! You'll kill yourself!"

* * *

**Author's Corner:**

**So who's ready for another random fact? As it turns out, ten thousand things isn't something I used merely for the sake of alliteration. It's actually a phrase from like Buddhism or something that's like a metaphor for creation. For ATLA fans, the spirit owl in the dessert that the Gaang faced was actually named after the phrase.  
**

**Anywho, I like this chapter's fight scene much better than the last one. As for Orochimaru's seal, well you'll just have to see what that does. **

**Always and forever, thank you guys for all the feedback you give. It's amazing as are all of you. Also, it's occurred to me that I should probably put disclaimers up. Then again, for all you know I might be Kishimoto himself (dun dun dun!)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Part I: Episode 7  
**

"Shut up Hiruzen!" Orochimaru barked as the fox's chakra suddenly surged towards Orochimaru. The Sannin gritted his teeth at first, but was soon screaming in pain as the sheer amount of chakra rushed into him. Tsunade and Jiraiya watched, horror-stricken, as their old teammate began bleeding first out of his nose and then through his ears.

Blood streaked from his eyes like tears as his usually yellow eyes turned red and fox-like. His teeth grew longer as did his nails. His skin looked as if it were literally cracking from the sheer amount of chakra he was absorbing. The fox gave one last roar before it was gone. Orochimaru collapsed to the ground and Tsunade ran towards him.

"No! If you touch me, your hands will burn even more Tsunade." Orochimaru snapped as he slowly, painfully stood up. Even now, the Kyubi's chakra rose off him like steam and Hiruzen could feel its heat from several meters away.

"We must...hurry...to the village..." Orochimaru managed between pained winces. He took one step and faltered and without thinking Tsunade and Jiraiya caught him. Both Sannin winced and groaned at the contact, and even the frogs on Jiraiya's shoulders were forced to vanish at the touch.

"What are you-"

"Shut up Orochimaru, we don't have time for you to limp your way to the village. You'll die before you even get close. Now come on!" Jiraiya barked before he and Tsunade disappeared with Orochimaru. Hiruzen looked the spot where they once stood.

He had just watched Orochimaru defend Konoha. More importantly than that, however, he watched Orochimaru spare a life. At the cost of his own. Hiruzen laughed. He couldn't help it. His bones were aching, his muscles were sore, and much of his chakra was gone. A good portion of his village was destroyed and one of his prized pupils was on death's door and all Hiruzen could do was laugh. Orochimaru wasn't a lost cause! Orochimaru could do good! It was too wonderful for the old man. Hiruzen fell onto the ground, forcing himself to calm down.

He had done too much today. He was tired. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and laid back on the destroyed battlefield that would most certainly go down in world history. All traces of worry about his village's future gone.

* * *

"Move!" Tsunade shouted to the crowds of people that stood between her and Jiraiya and Orochimaru and the Hokage Monument. Orochimaru had told them the plan during the journey, although they didn't have much time. Orochimaru was beginning to bleed more and more and Tsunade was positive nothing she could ever do would erase the burn scars on her and Jiraiya's arms.

Orochimaru was communicating mostly through pain induced moans by the time the Sannin reached the Hokage Monument and it was all his former teammates could do to not drop him.

"Orochimaru, we're at the Monument! You have to get up!" Tsunade screamed. Orochimaru groaned and slowly managed to stand up. He fell forward and just managed to catch himself on the giant mountain that held the faces of Konoha's four Hokage. Orochimaru puked up blood. He looked up although he could barely see even the rock that was only arms distance away.

_You truly are mad, human, _the Kyubi said inside his head. The voice echoed painfully as Orochimaru began performing handseals.

_Why are you doing this, Orochimaru? You wanted my power for your own from the beginning, and now you have it. Just give into it. Lose yourself in the power you always dreamed of. _The fox said soothingly, although Orochimaru ignored him.

Finally, the hand seals were done.

"**Knowledge of Ten Thousand Things: Release**!" Orochimaru managed to say as he placed his palms on the Hokage monument. If absorbing all the chakra was painful, expelling was twice as much. Orochimaru blacked out twice during the process, only to be awakened by the pain. He screamed and cursed as his body seemed to light up on fire. Red scripts began to appear all over the Hokage Monument, traveling up the mountain at an incredible pace.

And then, it was gone. The lights. The pain. Everything. Orochimaru stood staring at the rock for a few seconds until all there was, was darkness.

* * *

-_Two Weeks Later-_

"Hokage-sama, how are you feeling?" The young woman asked as soon as Orochimaru had opened his eyes. He scanned the room and noticed that it was in the Hokage's Mansion. He looked at the woman and instantly recognized her as Tsunade's apprentice although her name escaped him.

"I'm fine," Orochimaru said as he sat up. The pain was almost unbearable, as if his muscles were on fire.

"Hokage-same, please don't move. It's not safe yet, the Kyubi's chakra-"

"Don't bother, Shizune," a voice said from the door way. Orochimaru didn't have to turn to know it was Tsunade. "He may not look it, but he's just as stubborn as the old man and that good-for-nothing pervert." Tsunade continued. Orochimaru turned to look at Tsunade, despite the pain. Her arms were heavily bandaged and the purple diamond that usually decorated her forehead was gone.

"How long have I been asleep?" Orochimaru asked, his tone serious.

"Well you've been floating in and out of consciousness for the past few weeks, although not long enough for you to remember anything. We had to bring you here since I doubt any of the doctors around here know how to fix you. Hell, I barely know how to fix you. What the hell did you do to yourself Orochimaru?" Tsunade asked, her voice rising slightly.

"I absorbed the Kyubi's chakr-"

"Not that you idiot!" Tsunade snapped, much to Orochimaru's surprise. The blonde dismissed Shizune before sitting down on Orochimaru's sick bed. She sighed and Orochimaru said nothing. He knew what this was about and figured it was probably best to let Tsunade speak first.

"What you've done to yourself, Orochimaru. It isn't natural. And more than that, it makes it incredibly difficult to provide proper care. You have to stop. Because if you keep this up and something goes wrong, not even I will be able to help you." Tsunade's eyes were downcast and her voice was so low, Orochimaru had to struggle to hear her at times. He sighed.

"I can show you how," Orochimaru said after a few seconds of silence. Tsunade looked up at him, although he stared out the window.

"I can't make any additional changes, anyway. As Hokage, I don't have the time." He said, a hint of wistfulness in his voice. Tsunade stared at him. Even though he had just woken up from what was basically a two-week coma, the man looked just as strong as when he went up against the fox. His skin was pale, but not sickly pale. In fact, it was almost like marble. Unblemished, smooth, and strong. Orochimaru blinked and looked down at Tsunade. Their eyes connected and just barely, Orochimaru's eyes softened. It was too much. Without thinking, Tsunade craned her neck and pecked Orochimaru on the lips.

"Well now that you're up, I'm going to check on my other patients." Tsunade said, quickly standing up. Orochimaru stared at her, his eyes in that analytic state they always seemed to be in.

"Other patients?" Orochimaru asked. His mind was still processing the kiss, but he found himself irritated that Tsunade had other patients, even if it was for the best.

"Yeah, the village got pretty banged up from that fox attack. Oh yeah, Danzo is pissed that you sealed its chakra into the Monument. You should've heard him go off at the meeting." At this Orochimaru smiled. It was his usual victory-over-Danzo smile, which caused Tsunade to laugh before exiting. Orochimaru experimented with standing again. This time, it wasn't so bad.

* * *

Even though there was still much rebuilding to be done, most of the village was inside the Namikaze household for Naruto's "unofficial official birthday". To Kushina's surprise, everyone seemed to forget about the tragedy and, at least for the night, decided to have fun. Couples danced, people drank, and there was laughter everywhere.

"Told you this would be a good idea," she whispered into Minato's ear. The blond sighed.

"Yeah I guess you were right. I guess I didn't expect people to be so open to a party, especially after everything that happened." Minato's face fell and Kushina could tell he felt guilty about not being able to stop the whole thing from happening to begin with. She wrapped her arms around her husband.

"You know, in Uzushiogakure, instead of funerals we had parties for our deceased." Minato looked at her quizzically, but her eyes said that she wasn't done. "It's to signify that while death is a horrible thing, instead of focusing on it, we should focus on life and appreciating those that we still have with us." Minato was silent for a while and with a kiss, Kushina left him to entertain another group of guests.

The evening went on without a hitch and before long the house was empty again, aside from Minato and Kushina who were tasked with cleaning all of the dishes. It was a comfortable silence until the two heard footsteps descending from the stairs. For a second, all Kushina saw was the masked man. She looked at Minato who nodded silently.

"Ah!" Kakashi yelped when the two jonin jumped from the kitchen. Kushina let out a sigh of relief, as did Minato.

"Kakashi, I didn't know you were still here. Why didn't you come downstairs for the party?" Kushina asked as she tried to get her racing heart under control.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you guys. And I didn't want to leave Naruto alone." The 14-year-old answered. Kushina let out a laugh as she walked up to Kakashi and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you, Kakashi. I appreciate you always looking out for him. It really is a relief to know that he always has you watching out for him." Kushina responded, holding Kakashi at length. Kushina could just barely see his face flush under his mask.

"Well since you're here, you mind helping us clean up a little bit?" Minato asked as he stood up from the wall he was leaning. Kakashi shook his head and followed the two into the kitchen. The room settled into a comfortable silence as the three jonin worked a system to get everything done without interfering with another's job. And within ten minutes, the kitchen was clean.

"You want some, Kakashi?" Kushina asked as she poured herself and Minato some wine. It was the last bottle and it was mostly gone already. Just enough for one more cup really.

"Um, it's okay. I'm underage anyway so-"

"Come on Kakashi, it'll be fine. Here, try it." Kushina said before pouring the last of the wine into a cup and handing it to the boy. Kakashi looked at the glass curiously before lowering his mask and taking a small sip.

"It's sweet," he said, surprised.

"Yup, Jiraiya bought it and he generally doesn't like his drinks bitter so you have him to thank for that." Minato said as he took a sip of his drink. The three fell back into their friendly silence.

"You know Kakashi, you have such a cute face. You shouldn't wear that mask all the time." Minato gave her a curious glance, but she ignored him. Instead she giggled as Kakashi turned red. The giggling stopped, however, when Kushina noticed a tear drip onto the table.

"S-Sorry, I think I got something in my eye," Kakashi said as he wiped his eye. Kushina sighed and looked at Minato, who motioned for her to handle it. In Kushina's own words, she needed the practice in being more motherly.

"What's wrong, Kakashi?" She asked gently as Kakashi furiously tried to wipe away the imaginary object in his eye. When he looked up at her, tears were flowing from both eyes.

"Nothing, it's just that...you guys are always treating me like family even though you have your own to worry about. S-Sorry, I'm ruining the celebration." Kakashi said, before rubbing his eyes eyes again. Kushina sighed and reached across the table to grab Kakashi's hands while Minato wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulder, the same we had the night after their mission in Kusagakure.

"Kakashi, we treat you like family because you are our family." Minato said softly. Kakashi sniffled as he looked up at his former sensei and then at a smiling Kushina.

"You've been a son to us since the day you were put on Minato's team, Kakashi. And the way you watch over Naruto is exactly how a big brother is supposed to watch after his baby brother. You've always been family, silly." Kakashi's lip trembled as he tried to hold back anymore tears from falling. Kushina stood up and walked over to Kakashi and hugged him tightly.

"Th-thank you guys...for everything." Kakashi cried. Minato laughed a bit as did Kushina.

"Of course, Kakashi." They said in perfect unison.

* * *

**Author's Corner:**

**Well that last scene was way better in my head, but I guess it turned out pretty decent in writing too. Can I also brag about the parallelism between the beginning and the end of the Kyubi 'arc'? At least, I think it counts as parallelism. I don't know, I honestly never paid attention in English. I paid mostly through my essays XD But really, it's you guys I write for so thanks a bunch. **

**As usual, thanks for everything - the reviews, favourites, and follows, I appreciate it more than anything. You guys are the best.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Part I: Episode 8  
**

Hiruzen took a deep breath, inhaling the warm Konoha summer air. The village had rebuilt itself over the past year and a half, and had only become stronger. And overseeing the entire the village was the Hokage Monument. The mountain looked no different than it had before becoming the stone prison of the Nine-Tailed fox, and yet it seemed to overflow with power. If one got close enough, they could almost feel the Kyubi's power pulsing behind the stone. Hiruzen found himself wondering if the fox was still conscious inside the rock. He wondered if it could see the village and its villagers and if it could, what it thought about them. What would it think a year from now? What about five years, or ten years? Would its hatred grow or would it learn to love the village?

"Hiruzen?" His wife said softly as she slowly stepped outside. Hiruzen extended his hand and Biwako grabbed it and for a while did nothing but stand there and look over their home.

* * *

"Welcome, great and powerful Demon Slayer-sama!" Jiraiya introduced loudly as Orochimaru stepped into the council meeting. The Hokage inwardly groaned at his newly minuted moniker. The one advantage it did have, however, was in negotiations. While certain people had no issue dealing with a "god of shinobi" or "Konoha's Yellow Flash", very few people took the name "Demon Slayer Orochimaru" lightly. Even Iwagakure's Tsuchikage treated Orochimaru in a, albeit only slightly, more respectful manner.

With a soft sigh, Orochimaru sat in his seat at the head of the council. Facing him were Tsunade and Jiraiya while Hiruzen sat behind them and Koharu, Homura, and Danzo sat in the final row. They knew the seating arrangement was Orochimaru's way of showing his contempt, but the trio in the back mostly ignored it.

"The first item on the agenda is the formal creation of the Ta no Kuni Alliance," Hiruzen said, officially beginning of the meeting. Orochimaru had heard rumors about the Rice Country, but never paid them mind. At one point in time he had a research facility there, but that seemed like another lifetime ago.

"Ta no Kuni Alliance? I suppose they don't have the resources to become a true hidden village just yet," Danzo said in a mocking tone.

"Be that as it may," Orochimaru countered, recalling his travels to the country; "there are several powerful clans in the Rice Country. To simply dismiss them would be foolish. Especially considering how close they are in proximity to us." Danzo frowned, even though he knew Orochimaru was speaking the truth.

"If I may, Hokage-sama," Koharu interrupted. Orochimaru gave her an approving nod.

"I understand your desire to make peace with a neighboring country, but Danzo is right as well. This Ta no Kuni Alliance is simply too new and fragile for us to make a meaningful alliance. I suggest we give them a few years to organize their time and resources and then we see how we feel about them." Now it was Orochimaru's turn to frown. Koharu was right, which meant that Danzo was right.

"I agree with Koharu, actually," Hiruzen said. Orochimaru nodded meaningfully.

"Forgive me, but I've never been there. I hear the Rice Country is filled with bandits and outlaws. The civil wars that have been plaguing the area have attracted all sorts of mercenary groups, barbarians, and God knows what else. Is it really a good idea to ally ourselves with them?" Tsunade asked. Danzo waved his hand dismissively.

"You can't judge a country based on something like that, Tsunade. There was once a time when even Konohagakure was just a collection of clans held together only by two powerful men shaking hands. A country doesn't just appear with everything running smoothly. It's a long, arduous process taking several years of blood, sweat, and tears." Tsunade nodded at Danzo's words. Smug as he was, she realized that the man was right.

"Speaking of powerful men, did you guys hear that Kiri is finally changing their Academy graduation standards?" Jiraiya asked, a playful grin on his lips. Some of the council members couldn't help but chuckle at Kirigakure's expense.

"It was only a matter of time before something like that happened. That Yagura, who would've thought such a kid could be so brutal." Danzo said with a dark smile. Tsunade suppressed a shudder.

"That reminds me," Tsunade said before digging into her folder. "Have you guys heard of this Uchiha kid?" She asked before handing out a series of identical pages. Orochimaru's eyes quickly scanned the paper.

"Yes, actually. I saw his Academy reports a few days ago. The boy is apparently a genius among geniuses, even by the Uchiha clans notoriously high standards." Hiruzen.

"Yes, the Uchiha certainly are a powerful clan. I do wonder about them sometimes." Danzo responded. Orochimaru cautiously looked at the older man, whose sole visible eye was shining grimly.

"Not this again Danzo," Hiruzen groaned. Orochimaru held up his hand, however, allowing Danzo to continue speaking. He had nothing about the Uchiha clan, much to his irritation.

"The Uchiha clan has always bore a sense of resentment and I fear these rampant rumors of Madara's return might cause them to act...rashly." The meeting room grew disturbingly quiet as all eyes fell on Danzo. Finally, it was Hiruzen who broke the silence.

"Honestly Danzo, this Uchiha conspiracy of yours grows more and more obsessive by the day." The former Hokage snorted. Danzo ignored, instead staring straight into the eyes of Orochimaru. The Hokage took a breath before looking around the room.

"Now then, if there is nothing else?" He asked.

* * *

"H-Hokage-sama?" The man stuttered as Orochimaru made his way to the Uchiha district of Konoha. It had never occurred to him that the Uchiha lived in their own particular section of the village and the Hokage had trouble deciding if it was a blessing or a prison.

"Do you know where I may find Uchiha Itachi?" The Hokage asked. Jiraiya stood silently next to him.

"W-well, Fugaku-san lives over there so if anywhere that's where Itachi most likely is. Um, sir." Orochimaru nodded and with a polite thanks, he and Jiraiya made their to the massive house at the back of the Uchiha compound. They knocked and it was only a second before the front door slid open.

"Hokage-sama?!" The man exclaimed. Another man came to the door.

"Hokage-sama, my name is Uchiha Fugaku. Welcome to my home," the second man said politely. Orochimaru nodded and walked in once Fugaku motioned for him to do so. The small group walked silently into the main room and quietly sat down at the low table in the center of the room.

"Tea?" Fugaku asked. Orochimaru declined although Jiraiya eagerly accepted a cup.

"Ah this is delicious! Fugaku-san, was it? Did you make this?" The white-haired Sannin asked. Fugaku blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected such a strong reaction.

"No sir, it was my wife." As if on cue, Uchiha Mikoto walked into the room. The shock at seeing two of the Sannin, one of whom was the Hokage, appeared on her face for a brief second but quickly vanished behind a polite smile.

"Oh wow, I had no idea we were having such esteemed company! Forgive me Hokage-sama. Had I known you were coming-"

"Don't worry about it, we're the ones who came unannounced!" Jiraiya said in his usual loud voice. Mikoto let out a small laugh. Fugaku took another sip of tea before speaking, ignoring Jiraiya's conversation with his wife.

"While it is an honor, Hokage-sama, may I ask the reason for your visit? Had we known, we would have cleaned the house a bit. I'm afraid you have us at a disadvantage." A ghost of a smile appeared on Orochimaru's face.

"As Jiraiya said, Fugaku-san, don't worry about such things. It was we who came without telling you. Forgive me for coming in unannounced." Orochimaru responded. Fugaku nodded appropriately.

"As for why I am here, I came to see your son, Itachi. Is he here?" Fugaku seemed perplexed by the request.

"Um Itachi is in the back, I believe. If you'd like, I'll go fetch him for you-"

"No need." Orochimaru said as he stood up. Jiraiya looked up at him and with a quick movement of his eyes, Orochimaru motioned for his companion to stand up as well. Without another word, the two Sannin made their way to the back of the Uchiha head's home. Orochimaru took a slow breath, allowing her admittedly rusty sensor skills to take over. Soon, he noticed the chakra of young boy. He went to the door and knocked.

"Hokage-sama," the young Itachi said, awestruck by the tall, pale man standing before him. Itachi then looked towards Jiraiya and his eyes grew impossibly bigger.

"Hey buddy, is it alright if we come in?" Jiraiya asked. Itachi nodded dumbfounded. Both Sannin strolled into the room and sat down. Orochimaru lowered his slightly, motioning for Itachi to do the same. The boy quickly and obediently sat down and watched as Orochimaru pulled out a stack of cards.

"Hello Itachi-kun. I've heard a lot about you. It's quite a feat, graduating as well as you did from the Ninja Academy." The Hokage said as he shuffled the cards. Itachi had regained most of his composure although he still had to clear his throat before responding.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama, but I'm hardly anyone special. Lots of other people have graduated from the Academy at a younger age than me." The boy said, sounding far older than he was. Jiraiya chuckled softly. The boy was almost just like Orochimaru was as a child.

"That may be true," Orochimaru said back. "But very few have graduated showing such high marks. You are far beyond even the students older than you. According to your sensei at the Academy, there was almost nothing he could teach you. Very impressive for one so young." Unable to think of a response, Itachi replied with a simple 'thank you' and a bow.

"Tell me, Itachi-kun. Do you know what these are?" Orochimaru asked as he placed the deck on the floor between himself and the Uchiha. Itachi stared at the deck quizzically and then shook his head.

"That's understandable, most people don't." Jiraiya said, taking over the conversation. "I borrowed these from an old friend of mine. They're used, sort of as a way to tell the future." Itachi's eyes went wide again.

"You can tell my future!" The boy exclaimed, finally acting his age. He quickly caught himself, however, and regained his composure.

"Not quite," Jiraiya laughed. "Only my friend can do that, and he'd have to see you in person. No, these cards only give a sort of...indication I suppose. It's pretty hard for me to explain. Even I barely understand it!" The toad sage explained. Itachi marveled at the cards.

"How do they work?" Itachi asked.

"All you have to do is draw a card," Jiraiya said casually.

* * *

"Thank you again, Fugaku-san for allowing us into your home. We apologize for the intrusion." Orochimaru said as he and Jiraiya again stood outside Fugaku's mansion.

"It was no problem at all, Hokage-sama." The trio said their good-byes and Fugaku watched as the two Sannin walked away. He softly closed the door and made his way to his oldest son's room. Mikoto was already in the room with Sasuke in her arms.

"It sounds like you had a lot of fun meeting the Hokage, Itachi-kun." Mikoto said kindly. A huge grin grew on her son's face.

"It was-" Itachi began when he noticed his father entering the room. Instantly, unconsciously he straightened his back. Some of the child-like wonder in his eyes left as he forced himself to appear more composed in front of his father.

"It was very," Itachi struggled for a mature-sounding word. "Enlightening. Jiraiya-san saw my future." If Itachi noticed the irritated glance Mikoto gave his father, he didn't show it. Fugaku knew he and his wife would have a long talk tonight about letting Itachi be a kid. The head of the Uchiha clan inwardly sighed and turned his attention back to his son.

"Your future?" Fugaku exclaimed cautiously. "Did they tell you what they saw?" Fugaku asked, his eyes showing a gravity that his voice lacked. Itachi noticed, however, so Fugaku had to change his expression.

"No, Hokage-sama said it's bad luck to know your future. But guess what!" Itachi exclaimed, his eyes growing wide again. Fugaku opened his eyes wide, to show that all of his attention was on Itachi. Unfortunately, Fugaku's plan backfire as his oldest son regained his composure. Regardless, the smile on the boy's face was too wide to be contained.

"Hokage-sama said that I'm his favorite to be the next Hokage." Itachi's smile fell at the shock that struck both of his parents' faces. There was a small silence that caused Sasuke to start crying. Mikoto laughed as she bounced the baby up and down.

"Wow! Imagine that, you'd be the first Uchiha Hokage!" She exclaimed, causing some of the smile to come back to Itachi's face. Fugaku smiled as well, pushing any thought of the Hokage's possible ulterior motives out of his head. Orochimaru wasn't the kind of man who gave praise lightly and Fugaku knew that Itachi was talented.

"Well then, let's go you guys. We were supposed to meet Kushina and her family ten minutes ago." Mikoto stated. Itachi followed his family out of the room, taking one more glance at the spot where he met the Hokage and the legendary toad sage.

"Come on Itachi. Who knows, Kakashi-kun might be there!" Mikoto coaxed. Itachi's lit up as he ran to catch up with his family.

* * *

As it turned out, Kakashi wasn't home, much to Itachi's chagrin. The seven-year-old watched, bored, as Naruto and Sasuke laughed and circled around each other, verbally dueling with the few words they knew while their respective mothers stood close by, talking and laughing. Fugaku and Minato were likely outside somewhere. Itachi slid out of his seat to join them when the front door suddenly opened and a silver-haired jonin stepped through the door.

"Kakashi-san!" Itachi exclaimed as he ran to the door. Kakashi jumped slightly at his name as the younger boy suddenly appeared before him. "Guess what! The Hokage and Jiraiya visited me today!" Itachi exclaimed, barely giving Kakashi time to say hello.

"Wow! Really?" Kakashi asked as Mikoto and Kushina looked on from the living room.

"He really does idolize Kakashi-kun," Mikoto stated with a giggle. Kushina laughed as well.

"Well of course. It's not often Itachi-kun gets to be the little brother, is it?" She said as Itachi continued to fill in Kakashi about his day. To his credit, Kakashi took the role of being big brother in stride, responding with all the correct 'ooh's and 'ah's. Kushina could see that the boy was exhausted from his mission. Even though he was just barely 16, he looked significantly older, possibly due to the recent growth spurt he had hit.

"It doesn't help that Fugaku is always so serious with him. I understand that Itachi-kun is the future head of the clan, but he's only seven. He's still a child." Mikoto said with a sigh. Kushina noticed her voice sounded tired, perhaps from having a house of three boys.

"You graduated today, huh? That's awesome! Aren't you only seven?" Kakashi exclaimed. Itachi nodded enthusiastically.

"I think you still hold the record for the youngest Academy graduate though. I can't believe it! Five-years-old?!" Kakashi laughed the praise off, preferring not to think about the circumstances proceeding his graduation. Instead he watched as Itachi described with the wide-eyed passion of a seven-year-old his day. Against his will, Kakashi's mind began wandering back to his father and he couldn't but wonder; if his father was still alive, would Kakashi still be where he is now?

Kakashi looked at Itachi and then towards Sasuke and Naruto and then up at Kushina and Mikoto and finally towards Fugaku and Minato. Underneath his mask he smiled. He would always miss his dad, but Kakashi had to admit that he truly loved the family he had now.

* * *

**Author's Corner**

**It's just occurred to me that, this isn't really a "corner" in the literal sense. Oh well, it's the same concept I guess. Anyway, this chapter was kind of weird to write mostly because of Itachi. At first I had him all hyper and stuff like, you know, a normal 7-year-old kid who just met two of the greatest ninja in his village. But then I thought of Fugaku and that I kind of liked that whole "Itachi is more than just a kid" dynamic. So yeah, you'll definitely more of that during this story. Especially when Sasuke gets older.**

**Also, my favorite thing about this story is the whole dynamic between the Uchiha family and the Namikaze family, Kakashi included. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.**

**Just a warning, I've only written a few hundred words in chapter 9 so far and I've been hitting some major writers block issues lately. So hopefully they'll be gone by next weekend and I'll be able to have chapter 9 posted on time.**

**Anyway, as usual thanks you guys so much for the follows, favourites, and reviews. They're awesome!**

**PS: VampireDoll666 thanks again for catching that age error, as it turns out he would've been somewhere between 15 and a half and a sixteen so I just went with just 16. It all depends on how close he was to 15 before the time jump and I guess I added a year when I was doing the math. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Part I: Episode 9  
**

_Six Months Ago _

_It was approaching evening when the ANBU ninja, a rather heavy set man, appeared in the Hokage's office where Orochimaru and Tsunade were finishing up dealing with the various paperwork involved with being the top of the village. He said nothing, but a glance towards Tsunade told the two Sannin that very sensitive information was about to be revealed. Orochimaru gave a quick nod, which the ANBU returned with one of his own.  
_

_"It's as you theorized, Hokage-sama. Shimura Danzo was seen at an orphanage towards the northern edge of the Fire Country talking to a former Root ninja. From their conversation, it appears that Shimura-san intends to begin recruiting from the orphanage and train on the job. We also have reason to believe that Root was never fully disbanded to begin with." Tsunade took an angry breath, but Orochimaru remained calm. In fact, much to the ANBU's surprise, Orochimaru didn't even seem surprised. He then nodded as if he had already received the information._

_"Thank you, Arashi. You are free to leave." Orochimaru said. With a quick nod, the ANBU was gone. Tsunade took no time in going off._

_"That sleazeball! I can't believe he disobeyed a _direct_ order from the Hokage! Who does he think he is?" She growled. Orochimaru couldn't help but chuckle, much to Tsunade's annoyance._

_"What?" She snapped. Orochimaru's smile calmed her down. Not because it was particularly charming or sweet, but because it was the smile he wore when he knew something that no one else did. Like when they were kids and he would sneak a win against Hiruzen in shogi without the old man noticing._

_"Don't worry Tsunade. Danzo has done nothing that I'm not aware of." The Hokage said as he turned to face the window. A part of him hated how attached he had become to this village in just a few short years. Was this why Hiruzen chose him to be the Hokage?_

_"So, you knew that Root was still active? You could've had Danzo court-martialed or something!" Orochimaru turned back to face her, his eyes surprisingly soft. It was strange, seeing Orochimaru so subdued. It was like the snakes he was so fond of. Beautiful, stunning even, but his presence used to put her on edge. But now, he seemed so tame even if his eyes still held that dangerous glint in them._

_"It was more convenient not to." Orochimaru explained, adding to Tsunade's confusion. Orochimaru smiled again, although this smile was the one she remembered. "If nothing else, Root is an incredibly efficient spy organization. By formally disbanding them, all I really succeeded in doing is getting those obnoxious kids from following me." The Hokage explained calmly. Tsunade sighed, glad that she wasn't the Hokage. All of the political warfare between Orochimaru and Danzo made her head spin.  
_

_"So you let Danzo keep running Root because..." Tsunade asked, speaking slowly. She was positive that there was a small smirk on the Hokage's face._

_"Because he has some of the best spies in the village. They keep him informed of what's happening in the outside world and, if it's serious enough that Danzo needs me to act, he'll tell me." This surprised Tsunade. As far as she knew, Orochimaru and Danzo hated each other. Then she inwardly smiled. 'Orochimaru must really love this village,' she thought, 'to work so closely with Danzo.'_

* * *

The tension within the walls of Konohagakure was almost tangible, Tsunade thought as she waited alongside Orochimaru at the northern gates of the village. On the Hokage's opposite side stood Jiraiya, the three Sannin nearly forming a second wall inside Konoha.. Most of the villagers resided inside their homes and much of Konoha's ANBU force had been stationed near the residential areas. The pressure at the gate seemed to increase and Tsunade knew that the Raikage had arrived. The gatekeepers, two Chunin looked hesitantly at Orochimaru who nodded and without further pause, the gate to rise.

Tsunade had never seen the Raikage before. If she had, she figured he would be the man she could never forget. He was a mountain of a man, but it wasn't until he had come closer that Tsunade could really appreciate how big he was. He traveled with three individuals, although Tsunade didn't doubt there were likely more hidden somewhere behind them. The four Kumogakure-nin stood at the gates and Tsunade was surprised that they were abiding by the tradition of waiting to be invited inside a village. Beside her, Orochimaru nodded.

As they came closer, Tsunade noticed that although the Raikage's party was bigger, they were also younger. The Sannin easily had a decade of experience on them. She refused to let her guard down however. There was a reason these three individuals were chosen to be the Raikage's guards. The entire scene was disturbingly quiet.

Had the situation not been so comical, Tsunade might have laughed at the distinct physical differences between the Hokage and the Raikage. The Raikage had at least a foot on Orochimaru and at least a hundred more pounds of muscle. Compared to him, Orochimaru was whiter than a sheet of paper. Still, the Hokage didn't seem slightly fazed. Of course not, Tsunade thought. He hadn't shown fear when going face-to-face with a bijuu. And what was a mere man to a demon?

"You have some nerve Orochimaru," the Raikage growled. "How dare you slay one of my ninja and then demand that I come to you? You'd best have a good reason for this!" Orochimaru's gaze was cold and absolute, like a snake who had already bitten its prey and was simply waiting for the venom to take its hold.

"Perhaps-" Orochimaru began, only to be cut off.

"No!" The Raikage barked angrily. "I will have none of that 'let's talk in my office' bullshit! You will answer for your crime here and now!" Tsunade took an even breath. She wanted to look to her right at her old teammates, to see how they would react. It was obvious that the Raikage was used to his rage having more effect, because Orochimaru's steady gaze seemed only to be infuriating him more. Tsunade could almost hear the smile forming on Jiraiya's face.

"Raikage-sama, you will remember that it was _your _ninja who came into _my _village and attempted to kidnap a child from one of Konoha's noble houses." Orochimaru's voice was steady and calm, but had a hard edge to it.

"Does Konoha not believe in a fair trial? You weren't there! You had no idea what happened!" The Raikage declared mockingly.

"Neither do you, Raikage-sama," Orochimaru countered. The Raikage's face darkened considerably. "And as for your man's trial, I will admit that I would have like to have him imprisoned rather than killed-"

"They why didn't you? Control your dogs, Orochimaru!" The Raikage interrupted again. Because of the distance, Tsunade could practically feel Orochimaru tense slightly. Not even Danzo was so brazenly disrespectful.

"_However_," Orochimaru began, ignoring the Raikage's outburst, "the girl's father had all right to react as he saw fit with his daughter's life in danger."

"I demand justice!" The Raikage raised his fist and Tsunade tensed until he bought it back to his side. Tsunade had the distinct feeling that if the Raikage had been sitting at a table, he would have smashed it then.

"Raikage-sama," Orochimaru began, only to be cut off again. This time, however, Orochimaru was prepared.

"_Raikage-sama_," he said, his voice a deep growl that actually seemed to startle the significantly larger Kage as well as his companions. "I have read your demands and I will not accept them. Either you sent that man here for the sole purpose of kidnapping the Hyuga clan's heiress or you made a regrettable choice for your village's head ninja. In either scenario, _you_ are to blame, not me or any other citizen of Konohagakure." The Raikage's jaw clenched and unclenched dangerously, but Orochimaru kept his eyes on the Raikage's.

Even the Raikage's guard seemed uncomfortable with the ensuing silence that seemed to add to the gravity of the area. Finally, the Raikage took a deep breath and spoke, this time in a low, steady voice.

"Well Orochimaru, if you will not give me justice then I will take it from you. The treaty is off. For every one of your men, women, and children that fall in this war, Hokage, I hope they all weigh on your conscience." The Raikage turned to leave when a voice shouted "Wait!" across the field. Everyone turned to see the owner of the voice and Orochimaru was hardly surprised to see Hiruzen walking towards them with a man walking next to him. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, instantly seeing his former teacher's plan.

"Raikage-sama, I am the man who killed your shinobi one week ago at the Hyuga manor. If you wish my life, so be it. I offer it willingly if it means there will be no more bloodshed between our villages." Orochimaru glared at him, but the Hyuga stared forward at the Raikage. Without using his sensor-skills, Orochimaru had no way of telling if this was truly Hyuga Hiashi or if it was his brother Hizashi, although the Hokage was sure he knew.

Orochimaru was about to say no, when Hiruzen caught his eye.

"Orochimaru," he said, his voice stern but pleading. Orochimaru's eyes floated from Hiruzen to the Hyuga and to the Raikage, who had an angry smirk in his eyes, even while his face remained stoic. Just as the Raikage was about to accept the trade, Orochimaru cut him off.

"No," he said. It was a simple word, but it seemed to have the weight of thunder. Hiruzen visibly paled and the Hyuga quickly turned to face the Hokage with a look of disbelief. The Raikage growled again, this one far more angry and menacing than before. Orochimaru turned to him, returning his glare with the same amount of rage and intensity. It was clear that the Raikage had not expected because his rage, if just for the briefest of seconds, disappeared.

"Raikage-sama, let me make one thing perfectly clear. I will admit that what Hyuga Hiashi did was reckless and he will be punished for it as a court sees fit. And it is for that reason that I will call the Hidden Leaf's ninja back home and will not continue this war. But if so much as a hair one of the my ninja's hair is plucked, I myself will be at your village. I will tear down the mountains you call home. I will rip the demons from your jinchuriki and I will do to them what I did to the nine-tailed fox. If you wish to continue this war then you _will_ feel my full wrath." It was as if Orochimaru's words were hanging in the air above them and everything seemed suspended in time. At the bijuu remark, Orochimaru had noticed two of the Raikage's guard involuntarily scooting closer to the one who looked like his could be the Raikage's brother.

Even the Raikage himself seemed to adjust himself so that he was perfectly between Orochimaru and his guard. The intensity in his eyes changed. At first, the Raikage's anger had been that of a man whose pride had been injured. But for whatever reason, the rage in the Raikage's eyes went from burning hatred to a cold fury. He stood up to his full height and Orochimaru found it difficult to read his face.

"Let us go," the Raikage said as he turned. His guard looked bewildered, turning their heads from the Raikage to the Hokage and then back before they followed their leader outside of Konoha's gates. Tsunade swallowed and released the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. Everyone present, in fact, seemed to let out a sigh of relief. All except Orochimaru, who never lost his cold gaze as he himself turned and began walking away.

* * *

"Are you out of your mind Orochimaru!" Homura barked when the story of that morning's events had been told to the council. Orochimaru regarded him coldly. Jiraiya looked back at Hiruzen, who seemed to have aged another ten years in the past few hours. Danzo was disturbingly silent, and Jiraiya and Tsunade desperately hoped he would say something.

"Homura-san is right, Orochimaru." Hiruzen chided. "That was a gamble you had no right to make. We've been at war with Kumogakure for years and that was our chance to finally end it with as little bloodshed as possible." There was a tense silence before Danzo spoke.

"I approve of the Hokage's actions today," he said, much to everyone's surprise. His eye never left Orochimaru, whose face remained equally stoic.

"Kumogakure cast a deep insult against us and I for one will not stand for one of Konoha's own to have to suffer for another village's ineptness. Where is your pride, Hiruzen? Homura? Are you truly so eager for this war to end that you'll march one of your own villagers, a man who you called family, an innocent man with a son and a wife, to death?" Tsunade found herself moved by Danzo's words. For all his blatant narcissism, Danzo truly was a patriot before all else.

"It probably wouldn't have been a pretty death anyway," Jiraiya added, causing the heads in the room to turn to him. Tsunade envied his ability to keep such a light tone despite what was happening. In a way, it's probably the only thing that regularly kept the Council meetings somewhat civil.

"There's not a doubt in my mind that Kumogakure wanted the Byakugan and that they would have tried anything to get it out of Hizashi's head. And I doubt they would have given him the pleasure of death before doing so." The council room was quiet. There was nothing else to talk about. The only thing to do now was to wait and see what Kumogakure would do. And so they did.

Orochimaru made sure to increase the security around the village and emissaries were sent to Sunagakure to make sure they kept their word and would come to Konoha's aid if necessary. It was less than moralizing when the Kazekage informed them that he would send what aid he could when necessary, but that the economy of the the Wind Country prevented him from doing more.

Days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months with no sign of attack from Kumo. All of the Konoha-nin that had been stationed between Konoha and Kumo had been successfully recalled and after arduous psychological screening and interrogations, they were reunited with their families. No spies had been seen or reported at all within village - not from Danzo or Jiraiya. Whatever Orochimaru had said to the Raikage, it had been successful. There had been no official peace treaty, but the war between Konohagakure and Kumogakure was over.

It had been two years since the ordeal and Koharu suggested sending a letter to the Raikage, but the rest of the Council had shot the idea down. There would simply be no communication with Kumo unless it was absolutely necessary. And even then, it would be kept as brief as possible. There was little use in looking that particular gift horse in the mouth.

"Well then, let's turn our attention to Sunagakure," Hiruzen said. Even though the war had been avoided, Jiraiya noticed that his former sensei still looked far older than he was and briefly found himself wondering why before the meeting picked up.

"From what I understand, their financial situation has only deteriorated since the last we spoke to them. What's happened to the money we've sent them?" Orochimaru asked. Hiruzen let out a deep sigh.

"It would appear that their situation is far more dire than they originally let on." Homura stated.

"I suppose they didn't want to burden us with such a thing while we were dealing with Kumogakure." Tsunade said aloud. Danzo scoffed.

"Such pride could easily be their downfall if that Kazekage isn't careful," Danzo warned to no one in particular although echoes of agreement were murmured. Orochimau took an even breath.

"I'll send a letter after the meeting, then." Orochimaru said. It was Hiruzen who spoke.

"Orochimaru," he said, causing his former student to look at him. It was rare that Hiruzen used Orochimaru's name during Council meetings. Something about not undermining the Hokage's authority by being familiar, although the other Council members were rarely as polite. "Perhaps it would be best if you meet with the Kazekage personally. Something is generally best handled face-to-face." Orochimaru nodded at the advice.

Of course, this suggestion opened a new debate about whether or not it was okay for the Hokage to leave, but Hiruzen managed to convince the Council that it was for the best. Still Orochimaru decided to leave Jiraiya in Konoha. The toad sage was the closest thing Orochimaru had to a spy and the last thing the Hokage wanted was for Danzo to run around unsupervised. Tsunade frowned when she realized this meant she would be traveling to Suna.

"I'm sure Chiyo still hates my guts," she said once the Council had adjourned. Jiraiya laughed.

"Yeah she probably does. At least you'll have your knight in scaly armor to protect you." The white-haired Sannin teased, causing Tsunde to blush and shove him. Orochimaru said nothing although he did begin to pay particular attention to the tiles on the roof. This caused Jiraiya to chuckle.

"Hey no one's judging you two. Well besides Danzo. And Koharu. And probably Homura too." Tsunade glared at him, but he only smiled. She rolled her eyes and Orochimaru followed her outside.

* * *

**Author's Corner: Hey guys so I really want to apologize for last weekend's lack of chapter and this weekend's late update. I'm pretty much over my writers block, so that's good. But about a week ago I was hit by this really deadly virus called Pokemon X. So yeah, it was pretty intense. I've got most of it out of my system now though.**

**So yeah, I kind of liked this chapter. I liked showing how Orochimaru wasn't like Hiruzen in a lot of respects and this is one of those big ones. Orochimaru is not the kind of guy who's just gonna roll over. He has way too much pride for that. I don't like how I keep making Tsunade seem so ignorant of world affairs though, I need to work on that.**

**So it's like 1 in the morning and I gotta be up soon and I have no time to proof read this tomorrow, so if you find any mistakes or anything please feel free to PM or leave a review and I will totally fix it.**

**But anyway, I really do hope you guys liked it and you know how to make my day if you did. Next weekend I should have the next chapter up, so keep an eye out for that. As always thanks for all the feedback you guys give and also thanks for your patience for this chapter, you guys are amazing.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Part I: Episode 10  
**

Kakashi, or Karasu, as he was known in ANBU finished putting on his uniform and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked as anonymous as his fellow ANBU ninja with his bird-like mask covering up his face and the long-sleeves of the ANBU uniform blocking any possible view of skin. The only thing visible were his toes and his hair which, admittedly, was fairly indicative of who he was. Kakashi debated cutting it.

"Karasu!" A man's stern voice barked from the other side of the dressing room.

"Yes sir, I'm finishing now." Kakashi responded before gathering his old clothes and placing them in his personal locker. With that done, he glanced at himself one more time in the mirror. It was when he reached to open the door that Kakashi noticed he had been rubbing a small spot on the front of his wrist where Kushina had drown him a seal.

_"It's an Uzumaki seal, it's designed to hold a fairly small amount of chakra in reserve." _She had said to him last night. _"It's not much, so think of it as a symbol that no matter where you go, we'll be with you." _Under his mask, Kakashi smiled. Regardless of how much she claimed otherwise, there was no denying that Kushina was a softie. Kakashi opened the door and was met with seven masked faces looking in his direction. The mask belonging to the largest member of the group turned around.

"Alright, let's go!" He ordered, his voice far louder than Kakashi felt any ANBU ninja had the right to be.

* * *

Tsunade sighed and then sighed again. Orochimaru ignored her, as did Shizune, although one of the chunin quickly ran up to see if she was okay.

"Don't bother, she's fine." Shizune said, causing the chunin, a mousy girl who couldn't have been older than 20, to falter and glace meekly between Shizune and Tsunade. The sannin sighed, annoyed, and waved her hand dismissively and the chunin resumed her place in the formation.

"If you didn't want to come, you could have stayed." Orochimaru said, just loud enough for Tsunade to hear him. The two of them were walking a few paces ahead of their group, which Tsunade found slightly weird considering they were the ones who were supposed to be being protected.

"It's not that," she said with another sigh. She looked straight ahead, as if she could see Suna from where she was. "It's just...that Suna air is horrible to my hair and skin." Tsunade was forced to stifle a laugh at Orochimaru's taken back look. The Hokage quickly regained his composure before any of his entourage noticed that something was wrong.

"Is that really why you're so hesitant to go?" Orochimaru asked, a sort of hopeful skepticism in his voice. Tsunade laughed and found herself again marveling at how someone so brilliant could be so clueless.

"No, Orochimaru. It's not that." Tsunade said reassuringly. Orochimaru regarded her curiously before dismissing the conversation altogether. He was obviously focused on his conversation with the Kazekage. She attempted to fall back, but Orochimaru grabbed her hand. His grip was both firm and gentle and said what he didn't: He wanted her beside him, even if he didn't quite understand her all the time. His hand was surprisingly warm.

"Shouldn't the ANBU squad have checked in by now?" Tsunade wondered out loud. As if on cue, the trail grew disturbingly silent. Even Orochimaru appeared to come halfway out of his thoughts to look around him. The group was close to the three-way border between the lands of Wind, Rivers, and Rain and the weather was beginning to warm as they approached Kaze no Kuni.

"Keep an eye out for anything suspicious," was all Orochimaru said on the matter before retreating back into his thoughts. Most people would have been worried, but Tsunade knew Orochimaru didn't need to be fully aware of a threat in order to fend it off. Still, she made it a point to keep an eye out in front of them. It wasn't until they reached the three-way border that the ANBU squad appeared before them.

"You're late. What happened?" Tsunade asked harshly. The ANBU captain of the group took a knee before Tsunade and Orochimaru, who seemed to just be noticing the man's arrival.

"Nothing is wrong, milady, we are sorry for the delay. A few miles north of here, we noticed something that we really couldn't describe. We couldn't find anything except for a destroyed village. We, um, also heard what we think was a kid. A few of my men are there now looking for him, but the winds are almost alive. Sand is flying everywhere. Regardless, it's not on the way. I apologize again for the delay." Orochimaru glanced sideways. Her eyes went wide as soon as she heard that a child was in the destroyed the village.

"Orochimaru..." Tsunade began, before stopping herself. She remembered that they were on an important mission and that came first. She took a step forward, when Orochimaru, much to her surprise, made her stop.

"I'm interested in these "living winds" you spoke of Kabe. Can you lead me to them?" Kabe seemed surprised at the order but quickly gave a quick nod. Orochimaru turned to face Shizune.

"Kabe, have your remaining men lead the group to Sunagakure. Tsunade-san and I will be along shortly."

"Hokage-sama, please! We don't know how safe it is!" But Orochimaru had already given his order and was walking off with Tsunade and Kabe walking with him. Just barely, Shizune could hear Orochimaru say "Just go. Have faith in the power of your Hokage and your teacher."

* * *

Just as Kabe had stated, the village had been destroyed. What the ANBU captain neglected to mention, however, was just how bad the damage was. The few buildings that weren't absolutely demolished looked as if they had been sliced through. Massive craters dented the ground and there were places where there was no sand at all. Looking closely, Orochimaru saw gold dust twinkling like stars all over the place.

"What the hell happened here?" Tsunade asked as she took in the destruction. She inwardly hoped the village was evacuated before all of this happened. So far, there were no reports of bodies but that hardly meant anything. Who knew how many corpses were buried under sand or rubble? Tsunade took another step forward and quickly jumped back as the sand where she had been standing shot up and shot to the right. She watched, awestruck, as the sand everywhere began to shift and move and turn as if it were alive.

Orochimaru took note of the sand and then looked back at the ground. Much of the gold dust remained unmoved. The Hokage took a deep breath, allowing his sensor skills to take over. Just as he thought, the "living wing" that Kabe spoke of was just sand being manipulated by chakra. Orochimaru looked around slowly, taking in each and every person. He took note of the three or four ANBU ninja, Kabe, and Tsunade. And there, just a few feet from Tsunade was another chakra source. It was difficult to accurately see because it was so much chakra concentrated in such a small container.

Tsunade gasped when Orochimaru appeared beside her, staring a hole into a spot just a few feet from her. Slowly, Orochimaru reached forward. As if it were alive, the sand instantly reacted, surging on Orochimaru faster than Tsunade could react. Tsunade shielded her eyes and when she opened them, Orochimaru was still there, completely unscathed. With a new conviction in his eyes, Orochimaru shot his hand forward. Tsunade heard a scream as Orochimaru pulled a young boy from the sand.

The sand went mad, falling on both Orochimaru and the boy and from what Tsunade could see, it appeared to be trying to separate them. Finally the sand succeeded and Orochimaru was flung backwards and just barely managed to land on his feet. The boy's green eyes were wide with panic and when they locked onto Tsunade, she knew she only had seconds to react.

"Wait!" She cried out, putting her hands over her head. The Sannin watched as the sand began to float around the red-haired boy, who looked to be around five. He was breathing heavy and it was obvious he had been crying. On his forehead, love was written - no, carved. "We don't want to hurt you kid," Tsunade said gently. She took a small step forward and the sand began to slither, causing her to stop.

"My name is Tsunade. Can you tell me your name?" Orochimaru watched Tsunade with a mixture of confusion and intrigue. She could easily knock the child out in a matter of seconds, so why she was taking such a slow method was beyond him. He held out his arm, a sign telling the ANBU in the area to stand down. Tsunade slowly inched closer to the boy, but Orochimaru could barely hear what she was saying. It was quite impressive, really, how the boy could control the sand and Orochimaru briefly wondered if he was doing so consciously.

Tsunade managed another step and the boy shouted something. Whatever it was shocked Tsunade enough to make her take a step back. For a while no one moved, and then Tsunade started forward again. The sand seemed to lower itself as she got closer until finally it had settled into the ground. Orochimaru looked on, partly stunned, as Tsunade wrapped her arms around the boy. He hugged her back and even from the distance, Orochimaru could see that he was crying.

* * *

Shizune wasn't sure where exactly the rest of her ANBU escorts were. Aside from a short woman and a silver-haired man, the rest had disappeared. It amazed Shizune how they could vanish when the only thing around them was sand. It's not like they could hide anywhere.

Even though she had been joking, Shizune noted that Tsunade was right about the dessert air not being good for her hair and skin. The sun was hot and she could feel herself getting sunburned on her face and neck. The winds provided no sort of breeze and only seemed to make Shizune even hotter. This was truly a miserable journey. Shizune looked at the backs of her ANBU guides and wondered what they were like off-duty. The thought made the trip somewhat bearable, if only for a few seconds.

Shizune looked back at the rest of the entourage. It wasn't a particularly group. There were eight individuals altogether, including her, the Hokage, and Tsunade. Orochimaru's protege, Anko, looked incredibly bored and irritated but she said nothing. The mousy chunin from before was looking in some book. Finally there were two jonin who must have been there for their intimidation factor, because they were huge.

It felt like hours before the party found itself walking between two massive mountains with Sunagakure rapidly becoming visible and Shizune wasn't quite aware of how much time had truly passed. When walking in the dessert, minutes had a habit of stretching into hours. She glanced back nervously as the Konoha group approached the gates of Suna. Orochimaru and Tsunade were supposed to have been back by now. Getting inside Sunagakure without them was going to prove difficult. One of the two ANBU guides, the boy, looked back and Shizune got the feeling he too was waiting for his superior to show up.

At the village gates stood the Kazekage flanked on either side by Suna-nin. He looked regal, but at the same time tired and far older than he really was. Shizune had the feeling he was exhausted and only came to meet them out of personal obligation. Because she was the closest one to being in charge, Shizune stepped forward and bowed deeply.

"Kazekaga-sama, thank you very much for meeting us here. I regret to inform you that the Hokage-"

"Is right here," Orochimaru said. He had appeared so suddenly that Tsunade shrieked and jumped at least twelve feet backwards. She heard Tsunade laugh behind her and turned a bright red. Shizune looked behind her and felt relief fill her body. And then confusion when she noticed the little red-haired boy clinging to her leg. He seemed to be staring at the Kazekage and when Shizune looked, the man's face was a rigid, unreadable mask. There was a tense silence before the Kazekage turned around.

"Well then Hokage-sama, let us go." He said. Even the Kazekage's voice sounded tired, Shizune noted. And before he turned around, the chunin could've sworn she saw him age another ten years.

Somehow, the village seemed cooler than the dessert outside of its gates, but Shizune couldn't for the life of her figure out why. Of course it would have been easier to come up with a reason if she had not been stealing glances at the boy next to her mentor. Was that the child that Kabe had heard? Speaking of Kabe, Shizune looked and noticed that the ANBU had disappeared again. She wondered if Suna had its own black-ops ninja keeping an eye on them.

It was difficult to ignore the glances and muttering from the villagers and Shizune was fairly certain they were staring at the red-head walking behind Tsunade. Shizune was positive she heard the words "devil child" and "mistake" several times and her curiosity regarding the boy grew. He obviously had some relationship to the Kazekage. They looked similar enough to be father and son, but surely the Kazekage wouldn't allow his own son to be treated so horribly, right?

It didn't take long before they reached the Kazekage's building, a large spherical construct that Shizune had to admit looked mighty impressive. The Kazekage and his guards continued forward but Orochimaru and Tsunade stopped and told the entourage to wait at the inn they were going to be staying at for the next few days. Shizune frowned at having to be apart from Tsunade twice in one day but did as she was told.

* * *

As soon as the door closed, Tsunade was all over the Kazekage before Orochimaru could react.

"What is wrong with you? How could you do be so heartless and cruel? He's a child!" She roared, pointing an angry finger at the Kazekage. The guards tensed up but the Kazekage motioned for them to stand down as Tsunade proceeded to berate the younger man. He said nothing as the words flowed from Tsunade's mouth like lava. It felt like several minutes, but it had only been a few seconds before Orochimaru stepped in.

"Tsunade, that's enough." His voice was calm, but so strong and final it reminded Tsunade of her uncle. Tsunade took a deep breath and for the first time noticed the elderly lady sitting across from them with two children next to her. The kids looked at Tsunade with a mixture of contempt and wonder, as if they didn't know whether to be appalled or impressed that someone would have the audacity to yell at their Kazekage.

"Please forgive Tsunade, Kazekage-sama, I fear the journey has gotten the better of her." Orochimaru said calmly. His yellow eyes betrayed nothing, while Tsunade's were still wide. Everything was silent as the Kazekage nodded and entered into his office with the Hokage behind him. The door shut, leaving Tsunade and the boy behind.

"Slug-hime, how are you?" Chiyo asked, breaking the tension. If she was attempting to sound mocking, it was clear her heart wasn't it. Tsunade sighed and walked over to the older woman. The two children next to her gave hard looks to both Tsunade and the boy next to her, Gaara. The two sat across the hallway so that they were facing Chiyo and the two kids.

"I'm sorry about that. I guess I lost my cool for a bit." Tsunade said softly, mostly to the kids although it was Chiyo who laughed in response.

"It happens to the best of us kid. Candy?" Chiyo asked, offering a small piece of candy. Tsunade chuckled without humor.

"Let me guess," Tsunade said before thinking. "Very slight neurotoxin, most it'll cause is a tingling sensation in the fingertips. Designed to up one's resistance to poison, am I right?" This caused Chiyo's body to shake with laughter while the kids next to her looked horrified. The little boy, a brunette who looked just like the Kazekage looked his fingers and Tsunade saw that she was right.

"Chiyo-baasama! Is this true?" The young girl, a blonde, exclaimed although Chiyo continued to laugh.

"Well done Slug-hime! Now tell me, how would you go about fixing this?" The old lady cackled. Despite herself, Tsunade smiled.

"Tea made with the silver-lined cacti petals, honey, and a generous helping of ginger would probably be the best antidote, but for something like this I'd recommend just sleeping it off." The faces on the two kids made it apparent they weren't sure whether or not to believe Tsunade.

"Well you heard the woman, get out of here you kids. Have the kitchen staff make you some tea before your hands go numb!" Chiyo cackled. The two kids scrambled to their feet and sprinted down the hall. Chiyo's eyes turned to Gaara.

"You two boy, go play with your siblings for a bit." Gaara looked at Chiyo hesitantly and then up at Tsunade. The sannin glanced at Chiyo who gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head.

"Go ahead Gaara-kun, I'll be right here." Gaara nodded, a small smile on his face, before he got up and walked down the hallway where his brother and sister went. Once he was out of earshot, Tsunade sighed.

"Found him out in the dessert, did you?" Chiyo asked, popping one of her candies into her mouth. Tsunade was only surprised for a bit. It made sense that Chiyo would be practically immune to such a weak poison by now.

"Yeah." Tsunade responded.

"Probably would've been kinder to let him die out there. You would've righted this old bat's wrongs." For a brief second, Tsunade thought she saw regret in Chiyo's eyes, but it went away before she could be sure. Regardless, the older woman's voice was far more somber than before.

"So the voice he claims to here..."

"That would be Shukaku, the one-tailed tanuki, demon of Sunagakure." Chiyo said with mock pride. Tsunade laughed at the attempted humor.

"A jinchuriki, huh? Poor kid. But even so, what his father did-"

"Do you have any children, Tsunade?" The question hit Tsunade like a fist and she gingerly put a hand on the stomach that would never stretch for a child. Chiyo didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "To choose one's village or one's son. What a horrible decision to be forced to make. Would you like to know why the Kazekage had me seal that demon into his newly-born son?" Tsunade shook her head.

"Well let me tell you anyway. It was a dark and stormy night," Chiyo began, causing Tsunade to chuckle.

* * *

**Author's Corner: As usual, I would first like to thank all of the reviewers, favoriters, and followers immensely for all your support. It is truly the best thing ever. Now for all the commentary stuff.**

**First: OMG you guys I accidentally cut my fingertip while writing this. Do you know how difficult it is to type with glass possibly embedded in your finger? Jk, I'm a badass so I barely felt a thing.**

**To be honest, I actually envisioned this being a little longer, but if I had kept going with it, this thing might've hit the 7000 word mark so I'm just gonna split it into two chapter. At first I kinda envisioned Tsunade and Chiyo having this catty, bitch-fight sorta thing, but I liked this way instead: two highly skilled women who respect each other, even if they used to be rivals and are able to have a civilized and even friendly conversation with each other.  
**

**I tried to avoid having the whole tearful embrace dialogue between Gaara and Tsunade because I'm not really sure how you approach a kid who's uncle tried to kill him and convince him you're not a threat. So yeah, I just left that alone. By the way, even though it says that he looked no older than five, Gaara is actually like six, potentially going on seven. He's just small for his age.**

**I was debating drawing out the whole Tsunade-Kazekage confrontation but decided against it. We'll in the next chapter how what he did really affects Gaara's dad and we'll get to see how Orochimaru (sort of) comforts him (in his own Orochimaru-y way). We're getting closer to the end of part I, you guys. I don't think it'll be more than seven chapters at the most. Just one more 'arc' I guess and I'm sure you can guess which one it is.**

**Also, important note, I'm not sure if you noticed, but two years passed between the Raikage incident and this chapter. Sorry for all the timeskips, I honestly didn't intend for part I to take thing long. Originally it was gonna be essentially a series of drabbles, but I dunno, it just sort of became it's own thing. Not that I mind.**

**Thanks again for all the support and feedback, you guys, it's awesome and so are you.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Part I: Episode 11**

The awkward silence that followed Tsunade's outburst would have been deafening were the two men seated in the Kazekage's office not two of the most cool-headed men alive. The Kazekage sat behind his desk and Orochimaru sat across from him. Unlike the Raikage, the Kazekage was about Orochimaru's height and also unlike the Raikage, wasn't at all aggressive. If anything, the man looked exhausted as he sat across from Orochimaru.

"Now then, Kazekage-sama, would you please tell me just how strained Suna's finances are?" Orochimaru asked. The Kazekage sighed, the latest of many since the Hokage had entered Suna, and pulled a few papers out of his desk.

"As of now, we're breaking even, but we've had to make serious cutbacks in the past few months in order to get there. For whatever reason, our Daimyo has been outsourcing our missions to various other villages." The Kazekage said in a steady voice. The accusation hung in the air, although Orochimaru didn't comment on it. Instead, his eyes glanced over the various financial records and budgets of Sunagakure over the past few years.

"How are you managing to break even now then?" Orochimaru asked, breaking his gaze over the papers to look at the Kazekage. The auburn-haired man glanced down at the desk before grabbing a sheet of paper and putting it on top of the other pages.

"Mostly by stationing units around the Land of Wind. Not even the Daimyo can outsource missions within the country when we have shinobi in the area. We've also managed to get a few high-level missions and our alliance with Kirigakure, shaky as it is, is also helping to cushion the impact of this economic low." The Kazekage's voice was weary and it was clear that he wasn't expecting Suna to be able to break even for much longer. There was another silence as Orochimaru looked over the papers.

"Konohagakure receives about forty missions a month from your Daimyo. If we were to send those back to you, where do you estimate that would put you?" The Kazekage's eyes shifted back and forth as he did the mental calculations. Across from him, Orochimaru did the same calculations.

"For now, that would definitely put us in an advantageous situation. However, winter is coming, so trade with Kirigakure will slow down and I'm afraid we'll be back to where are we now until spring comes again." Orochimaru blinked slowly.

"How much of Sunagakure's revenue is coming from Kirigakure?" Orochimaru asked.

"Approximately 25%," the Kazekage's answer was quick. It was obviously a figure that he had memorized. Orochimaru ran a few more calculations in his head before speaking.

"Konohagakure can math Kirigakure's contributions for about a year." For the first time, the Kazekage showed an emotion other than exhaustion: surprise.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, are you sure Konohagakure can afford to do such a thing?" At this Orochimaru's mouth tightened slightly. He was almost positive that Konoha would be able to afford it.

"Yes. I will have to talk with the Council there in order to make sure, but now that we are done with that war against Kumogakure, Konoha should be able to afford doing so." By now, both Kages were looking at each other. The Kazekage's glance was mostly unreadable, although Orochimaru was sure he saw relief somewhere in the younger man's eyes.

"Alright Hokage-sama, with your more-than generous offers, Sunagakure should be able to focus on training our ninja as well as working out more sources of income so this embarrassment does not happen again." The Kazekage's voice was slightly higher than normal, but it still retained his steady, tired drone. Orochimaru nodded and stood up, as did the Kazekage. The two men shook his hands before the Kazekage escorted Orochimaru out of his office. In the hallway, Tsunade and Chiyo sat across from each other. They had been talking but stopped when they heard the door open. Abruptly Tsunade stood and walked towards the two men.

"Forgive me for my outburst for, Kazekage-sama." Tsunade said as she bowed deeply before the Kazekage, who seemed surprised. Behind them, Chiyo snickered. The Kazekage took a breath to regain his composure.

"It's alright Tsunade-san, you had the right to say what you felt. I hold no ill will against you for it." When Tsunade looked at the Kazekage, she suddenly felt very guilty for her tirade earlier. For just the briefest of moments, she saw the sadness in his eyes and before her eyes, he seemed to age yet another decade. Tsunade suddenly felt very young before the man. And then, his poker face returned.

"Thank you again for coming, both of you. Feel free to stay in Sunagakure as long as you please." The Kazekage asked. Both Orochimaru and Tsunade gave slight bows.

"Thank you Kazekage-sama for hosting us. And worry not, we'll be gone in a few days." It was Tsunade who spoke, no doubt trying to make up from before. The Kazekage smiled slightly before returning to his office. When he closed the door, Orochimaru turned and began to exit the building. Tsunade however, turned to look down the hallway.

"Go, damn Slug-hime, the boy will be fine." Chiyo said with her signature cackle. Tsunade smiled.

"Thank you, Chiyo-san. Please tell Gaara-kun I said good-bye and where to find me if-"

"Bah!" Chiyo exclaimed. "I said the boy will be fine. Suna men are strong. They don't get coddled and babied like your Leaf brats." This caused Tsunade to laugh softly.

"Alright. Thank you again, Chiyo-san."

"Good-bye, Slug-hime. And good-bye to you as well, Demon Slayer Orochimaru." Chiyo said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. Orochimaru smiled, even though Tsunade knew he hated that nickname. Both Sannin said their good-byes before exiting the Kazekage's work building. They had barely taken a few steps before Tsunade stopped them.

"Orochimaru, I'm really sorry about what happened in there. I lost my cool and it could have been really bad, not just for you but for the village as well." Tsunade wasn't sure what she was expecting. Orochimaru was never the scolding type. He had always been the one who quietly picked up the slack whenever someone messed up. Still, Tsunade had almost cost the Leaf a valuable ally. Which was why Tsunade was completely unprepared when Orochimaru tilted her chin upwards and pressed his lips onto hers.

It was quick. And even though she had felt Orochimaru several times, his warmth was always a surprise to her. His eyes met hers and he smiled. A genuine smile that only Tsunade ever saw. Jiraiya might have seen it once when they were young and Hiruzen certainly had never seen it. But Tsunade had seen it a handful of times. Not many, but still enough that the image was burned into her mind.

"It's okay Tsunade. There's nothing to worry about."

* * *

Shizune almost missed the ANBU ninja sitting in a corner of her room as she stepped out the bathroom. Luckily she was dressed in a towel, but the ninja, a man from what she could tell in the dark, seemed to pay her no mind. Still, Shizune decided it was best to change in the bathroom. The inn room was fairly small, with only a bathroom, a combined living room and bedroom with a couch as the only other piece of furniture, and a miniature kitchen.

As Shizune walked out the bathroom a second time, she noticed the man was still in the corner. With a start, she realized that he had been one of the two ANBU ninja who had led the Konoha unit to the Sunagakure gates. He was so still, Shizune wondered if he was sleeping. Slowly she reached her hand forward.

"Yes ma'am?" He asked, causing Shizune to jump. She was suddenly glad it was so dark so that he couldn't see her blush.

"S-sorry, I wasn't sure if you were awake." She apologized with a deep bow. The man chuckled lightly.

"It's alright. And don't worry, I was assigned to be your bodyguard tonight. So I won't be going to sleep anytime soon." Shizune sat down.

"I'm a medical ninja, I know how ineffective it is to watch someone all night long. Especially since you won't have anything to do." She explained. Shizune suddenly felt very nerdy.

"I'll be fine. I've been undergoing nocturnal training ever since it was decided the Hokage would be going to Suna." From his voice, Shizune felt the ANBU wasn't much older than her. His voice was deep, but in that not-quite-mature young adult manner.

"What about Mitarashi-kun? She's supposed to be sleeping in here too. Why aren't you watching her?" Shizune countered. Behind his mask, the boy laughed.

"I was told to watch this room, so that's what I've been doing all day. If Mitarashi returns, I'll be watching her too. Until then though..." he let his sentence hang. Shizune sighed, not convinced by the young man's words. Still, she was feeling exhausted from the trip. A sudden poof of smoke caused her to jump again. There were now two dogs in the room, one the size of a small bear and the other the size of a tanuki.

"There," the ANBU boy said. "Now even though I won't fall asleep, you have extra protection. Go to sleep, you'll be fine." The big dog regarded Shizune was mild curiosity before going to sleep. The small dog made a disapproving noise before he too fell asleep. The ANBU mask turn to face her.

"Alright, I guess I'll go to sleep." Shizune stood up and took two steps before turning back around to face the ANBU. She stared at him for a few seconds before coming to a decision. "There are energy pills in my medicine pouch. They're marked so you don't have to worry about taking the wrong one." The silence made her feel incredibly self-conscious.

"I won't need them," the boy said in an exasperated tone. "But thanks." Finally content, Shizune nodded and went to crawl into her bed. Her thoughts instantly drifted to the ANBU guy sitting in the corner of her room and before she knew it, Shizune found herself dreaming of what he looked like underneath his mask.

* * *

"I just received word from the Council, confirming that Konoha will be able to give Sunagakure what she needs." Orochimaru informed the Kazekage as the two once again met inside the latter's office. The Kazekage nodded.

"Thank you again, Hokage-sama." The Kazekage said as he stretched out his hand. Orochimaru continued as he shook it.

"Kazekage-sama, if I may," he began. The Kazekage looked at him curiously, which Orochimaru took as a cue to continue. "Forgive me for bringing this up, but is it true that your son is a jinchuriki?" The Kazekage's eyes went wide and Orochimaru watched a parade of emotions go through them.

"When I found him in the dessert, I noticed that his chakra reserves were unusually high for someone of his age. Even most jonin don't have that amount of chakra inside of them." The Kazekage said nothing for a long time, but Orochimaru remained calm. At this point, he had the advantage. The Kazekage couldn't afford to turn down Konoha's help. Finally, the Kazekage sighed. The pride and strength left his eyes and now he simply looked like a defeated man.

"I had hoped that if we could just control it, the Daimyo would give us missions again. But while my son's body was compatible with the demon, his mind wasn't. He was too young to fully control its powers and he became a liability. And so I tried to have him killed."

"Then the village...?" Orochimaru asked, making sure to keep his voice neutral. Even though he looked so tired and old, Orochimaru still preferred the Kazekage calm.

"Yes, that was the one-tailed tanuki Shukaku. Luckily I was able to evacuate the villages before anyone was seriously hurt. I managed to get Gaara to bring the demon under control. And then I left him to die." The Kazekage spat the last part with such self-loathing that even Orochimaru felt concerned.

"My apologies, Kazekage-sama-"

"Is there a reason you bought the subject up, Hokage-sama?" There was an edge to the Kazekage's voice that told Orochimaru he had crossed a very fine line. The Hokage's voice didn't waver, however, when he spoke.

"There is. Although the war with Kumogakure is over, no official truce has been signed. We have the Rice Country trying to form to the north and our relationships with Iwagakure and Kirigakure are strained and neutral respectively. Sunagakure is Konoha's one true ally. And it is for that reason that I am bringing this up." Orochimaru responded. Even though he hadn't said it, Orochimaru's words painted a clear picture. Konoha needed Suna just as much as Suna needed Konoha. Just as the Hokage predicted, this bought some of the confidence back into the Kazekage's eyes. He nodded, prompting Orochimaru to continue.

"Having an unstable jinchuriki poses a significant risk to Sunagakure and by extension, Konohagakure." Orochimaru stated flatly.

"I assume you saying all this means you have some sort of solution," the Kazekage said after a few seconds of silence. Orochimaru nodded.

"There's a member of the Uzumaki clan who lives in Konoha. She's too humble to admit it herself, but she is a brilliant users of the clan's sealing techniques and a former jinchuriki herself." At this, the Kazekage locked eyes with Orochimaru but the Hokage's look told him that it wasn't the time for details on why she was a former jinchuriki.

"I am sure that she'd be able to create a more stable seal for your son - something that would benefit both of our villages." It had been a long time since Orochimaru had seen hope fill a man's eyes. He watched as the Kazekage seemed to grow younger, stronger. Even the color of his hair and eyes seemed slightly more vibrant. Surprisingly, the man managed to keep his composure.

"Hokage-sama, you've granted this village more aid than I could have possibly imagined. You have my eternal gratitude."

* * *

"You must be the one the Hokage sent," Chiyo said to the woman standing inside of the Kazekage's personal work building. She smiled.

"Yes ma'am Lady Chiyo. My name is Namikaze Kushina and this is my husband, Minato and my son, Naruto." The woman said, introducing the two blond males behind her. Minato looked exactly as Chiyo had heard him described. Handsome, in a beautiful way, and with an almost calming presence. His son looked just like him, aside from the three thin lines on each side of his cheeks. He flashed Chiyo a wide, toothy grin.

"You have a beautiful family, Kushina-san." Chiyo said, her eyes lingering on Naruto who reminded her so much of her own son and grandson. She took out a small piece of candy, but before she could offer it to the boy, the door to the Kazekage's office opened. Inside the Kazekage stood with his youngest son who looked confused and scared but at the same time hopeful. The Kazekage motioned for the boy to leave and for Kushina and Minato to enter.

"Naruto, stay here okay. I'll be right back." Kushina said before she entered the Kazekage's office with Minato in tow. And just like that, only Naruto, Gaara, and Chiyo remained in the empty hallway. Naruto stared blankly at Gaara, who stared blankly back. They were silent for a few minutes until Naruto spoke.

"Are you the Kazekage's son?" He asked. Gaara's eyes flickered towards Chiyo for a second before they went back to Naruto. Gaara nodded and Naruto tilted his head as if Gaara were some sort of puzzle. Finally he smiled and walked up to the boy, extending his hand.

"My name is Namikaze Naruto and I'm gonna be the next Hokage. Since you're the Kazekage's son that means you have to be the next Kazekage." Gaara's mouth fell open as he stared at the boy. He had never been approached by anyone, let alone a boy his age. Gaara looked at Chiyo who looked just as stunned. A smile slowly formed on her face and within seconds she was cackling away. Gaara looked back at Naruto, whose hand was still extended and whose blue eyes were fixed on Gaara expectantly. Slowly Gaara lifted his own hand. A small smile began to form on his face too.

As she laughed, Chiyo suddenly felt a tear stream down her cheek. The old woman ignored it however. For now, she simply laughed at the hope that just maybe Gaara wouldn't have to go through life alone. That maybe, just maybe, this Naruto kid would be the light that kept Gaara from going down the same dark road her own grandson had gone down. That maybe, through Naruto, Chiyo's greatest sin could finally be forgiven.

* * *

**Author's Corner:**

**Now first off, NO, NARUTO IS NOT A JINCHURIKI. He had the whiskers when he was born. I know someone was going to say something about that, so I figured I might as well cut that off now. Anywho, um as usual thanks everyone for the support (reviews, favorites, and follows). I might be posting another chapter on Saturday too.**

**I would like to confirm that I do have a basic schematic of the Shippuden part of this worked out, so there will be a part 3. Which reminds me, I can't wait till part 2 is over. It's so confusing keeping these ages straight with all these time-jumps. Just so you know, the Hyuga incident (or the Raikage incident of chapter 9) happened when Hinata was 3 so Naruto and Gaara are somewhere between 5 and 6 now.**

**Anko/Kakashi/Shizune might be a thing, I'm not sure yet. It might just be Kakashi/Shizune though. Also, this won't be a NaruSasu fic, but they're gonna have a pretty intense bromance going on. Same with Naruto and Gaara. Like I have the end of part 2 (mentally) written and omg guys the NaruGaa feels are just insane. I'm hoping by the time we get there, I'll be able to write it exactly as I see it in my head.**

**So yeah, that's most the new developments I got for you guys so I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. You know what to do from here. I freakin' love you guys!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Part I: Episode 12  
**

_2 Years Ago  
_

_"Now, Kazekage-sama," Kushina began as she looked up. She was seated in front of an unconscious Gaara with Minato beside her and a seal the size of the Kazekage's office scribbled onto the floor. The Kazekage only half looked at the red-haired kunoichi, most of his attention being on the young boy lying on his floor. Even though the seal had just been placed, it was already beginning to fade and the Kazekage watched in wonder as the stylized spirals on his son's belly slowly disappeared into nothing. Only then did he turn to fully face Namikaze Kushina. She took as her cue to continue.  
_

_"The seals I just used are two Four Symbol Seals basically stacked on top of each other. It's an extremely powerful seal. That being said, however, it _will _weaken over time." Kushina stopped to truly look at the Kazekage. His face was calm and stoic, but there was an almost excited light in his eyes that reminded Kushina of Naruto when he was promised something special. The mom in her wondered if the Kazekage was truly even listening. _

_"Weaken how much over how long a period of time?" Was the Kazekage's response. Despite the look in his eyes, his voice was steady and even cold and Kushina instantly knew why. _

_"It's tough to say in certain terms. Even at its weakest, the seal could hold the Nine-Tailed Fox, so you won't have to worry about a full-on awakening of the demon. However, for Gaara-kun's sake, we left a small space between the two seals that would allow him to make use of Shukaku's chakra reserves. Please listen, this part is important." The Kazekage glared at her and Kushina quickly continued what she was saying._

_"The space was designed to allow the chakras of Shukaku and Gaara-kun to mix. However, it takes a lot of training to be able to call upon it effectively. Had it been even the Two-Tailed Cat Nibi, that would have been better. The fewer the tails a beast has means the less chakra the jinchuriki can draw out before the bijuu inside is able to take control." The Kazekage's jaw tightened._

_"I'm afraid I have very little experience with bijuu and jinchuriki..." the Kazekage let his sentence hang, leaving Kushina to interpret the unsaid part. She nodded and looked back at Gaara who was peacefully sleeping on the altered seal he had been placed in._

_"I imagined so, Kazekage-sama. That's why I was planning on offering my knowledge both as a former jinchuriki and as the creator of this seal to you and your son. If you would allow it, I could tell you everything I know as well as come by on occasion to both check on the seal and Gaara's progress." The Kazekage's office grew silent for a long time. Finally the Kazekage took a deep breath. _

_"Very well, Namikaze Kushina. I will accept your offer." Kushina grinned at the man._

_"Thank you Kazekage-sama. I'm sure Naruto will be ecstatic. He seems to have taken a liking to Gaara-kun." The Kazekage's eyes narrowed at her and Kushina feared she had overspoke. "Forgive my impetuousness, Lord Kazekage. I meant no-"  
_

_"It's alright, Namikaze-san." The Kazekage said. Kushina tilted her head slightly to the side and noticed that the Kazekage didn't seem upset at all. If anything, he seemed intrigued by the offer. Intrigued by the concept of Gaara having a friend, Kushina realized. She inwardly smiled. _

_"Now Kazekage-sama, one of the first lessons you should learn about a sealed beast: This seal is a very strong seal. However, the only way to truly tame a bijuu is to overcome its hatred with love."_

* * *

"Nii-san, what's wrong?" Sasuke as his older brother stared off into the distance. They were sitting on a hill, one of the many indistinguishable blemishes that decorated Konoha's landscape.

"Nothing," Itachi said unconvincingly. Even Sasuke could see something was wrong with his brother. Itachi barely spoke anymore, not even with their dad. Whenever mom cooked, he rarely ate and when he did it was only a few nibbles before he excused himself. He would disappear for days at a time only to show up looking more tired than when he left. But more than anything, Sasuke noticed that Itachi always looked sad. Even when Naruto was there, and Naruto made everyone happy. Not even Shisui could help and Shisui was his best friend. But Sasuke knew he had gotten the only answer Itachi would give. So wordlessly, he wrapped his arms around his brother. Itachi blinked in surprise and look down at his brother.

"It'll be okay Nii-san. I don't know what it is, but you can fix it. Because you're Uchiha Itachi and everyone says you can do anything." Itachi smiled, even though it didn't quite reach his eyes. Absentmindedly, he stroked his brother's hair. He wasn't sure if it was seconds, minutes, or even an hour that had passed when he felt someone appear behind him.

"There you two are," Shisui said. Sasuke looked up.

"Shisui-san!" He cried out. He carefully untangled himself from around Itachi and scurried over to his brother's best friend. While Itachi got up, he whispered something into Shisui's ear. Shisui let out an amused chuckle.

"Oh don't worry about that Sasuke, I'm sure your mom won't be upset since you were with Itachi-kun." Shisui said. Sasuke cocked his head to the side and it was clear that Shisui's statement had no relation to what Sasuke had whispered into his ear.

"You were looking for us?" Itachi asked, his voice icy as it had been for the past several weeks since he joined the ANBU. Shisui frowned slightly. He didn't like the change in Itachi. No one did.

"Well, looking for you." Shisui corrected. "Your buddy was looking for you is all and your mom realized she hadn't seen you and Sasuke all morning. So she asked me to look for you guys." Itachi instantly realized that Shisui was referring to the 3rd Hokage, who had struck up quite the friendship with Itachi over the past few weeks.

"Alright then. May you please take Sasuke-kun home, Shisui-kun?" Sasuke's face fell at Itachi's request, but if the latter noticed, he didn't let on. Shisui sighed and placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. He nodded and in a blink, Itachi was gone. Shisui and Sasuke stood for a while, before turning towards the Uchiha compound.

"Shisui-san, what's wrong with my brother?" Sasuke asked. Shisui sighed again and licked his lips, a nervous habit of his.

"That's what we all want to know Sasuke," was all he said in response.

* * *

It was late when Shisui arrived at Fugaku's house where he had been summoned. There were several other members of the clan among them as well, which only made Shisui feel more nervous. He fought the urge to lick his lips, knowing Fugaku hated nervous tics. It was odd, seeing Fugaku. After all, Shisui was the one who Itachi always came to about everything and every time he met the man, Shisui wondered how someone could be so cold. There were times when Shisui even hated Fugaku. And that was before talk of the coup had started.

"Yes, Fugaku-san?" He asked cautiously. It was late, probably midnight if not later. Itachi had never come home after Shisui told him about Hiruzen. Shisui pushed his best friend out of his thoughts and focused on Itachi's father, who was the more immediate issue.

"Shisui," Fugaku said slowly. His voice was difficult to truly describe, but Shisui's best guess would have been exhausted. "Have you discovered anything new?" Fugaku asked. Shisui shook his head. Fugaku took a long, deep breath. Shisui blinked and for a brief second, he saw Itachi. Not the gentle, calm best friend he knew, but the dark, uncomfortable boy who had took his place. Fugaku was about to dismiss the boy when Shisui spoke up.

"But sir, I have a theory." He stated. Fugaku glanced at him curiously. Uchihas didn't have 'theories'. The closest equivalent would have been a suspicion. The Uchiha had plenty of those. Nonetheless, Fugaku silently prompted Shisui to continue. The boy took a deep breath. Now that he stood face-to-face with Itachi's father, Shisui wasn't quite sure how to continue. He knew the words to say, but how to articulate them to a man like Fugaku was almost beyond Shisui.

"I think he's depressed, Fugaku-san." The Uchiha head's eyes went wide with a mixture of indignation and contempt. His nostrils flared slightly and Shisui felt his lips moisten.

"_Depressed_?" Fugaku asked incredulously. Shisui nodded his head as Fugaku half-glared at him. The other Uchiha members looked on with various unreadable expressions.

"Yes, sir. With the coup, both sides pressuring him into doing their bidding, I think it's too much even for Itachi. His body...I think even his body is starting to cave under the stress." Shisui said, thinking of the last few times he had seen Itachi for a prolonged length of time. He was paler than usual, much paler, and skinnier. It was as if the pressure coming at him from all sides was literally squeezing the life out of Itachi. And he had to face it all alone. No. Itachi wasn't alone and had made it clear that Shisui was the only person he could truly rely on. That knowledge gave Shisui the strength to keep his eye contact with Fugaku. There was a tense stare between the two Uchiha until finally Fugaku turned around, his hands militantly folded behind his back.

"Shisui," Fugaku's voice was steady, but had a cold, frightening edge to it that sent shivers racing up and down Shisui's spine. "If what you are saying is true, then Itachi needs to be dealt with." Shisui felt the muscles in his arm tighten and his hair stand on edge. His tongue made yet another appearance outside his mouth as goosebumps began to pop up on his arms. And still Fugaku continued.

"If Itachi can't make a decision, perhaps it would be kinder of us to take that burden from him. Before it destroys him" When Fugaku turned around, Shisui saw that his face was downcast. His shoulders sagged slightly and for the first time in possibly the man's entire life, Fugaku look defeated. Shisui was slightly relieved that the man felt at least some remorse. But at the same time, Shisui felt as if Fugaku had punched him full force in the stomach. And from what he knew of the head of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku could punch hard.

Fugaku turned back around, clearly signalling that his meeting with Shisui was over. Without stopping, Shisui ran out of the building with one goal: find Itachi. If his own father had grown restless of Itachi's apparent ambivalence, he had no doubt the people on the other side were running out of patience just as fast. Shisui activated his Sharingan and scanned every nook and cranny for Itachi as he sped through the Konoha night. What Shisui didn't know, however, was that Itachi had just stepped onto the compound as he had sped off.

Itachi was glad that Shisui wasn't there to greet him at the gate. His mind was already racing and Itachi himself was nearing the breaking point. Danzo's words echoed around his skull, despite Itachi best attempts to shut them out. He wasn't sure which was worse, Danzo's lack of remorse when he said "there's only one way this can end" or the fact that Itachi was actually considering it.

The internal conflict caused Itachi to get a headache and suddenly the world started spinning. Itachi was barely able to remain standing and he inwardly cursed at his body's newly developed weakness. He knew it was the stress of everything that was going on that had caused his sickness. The coup, being a spy for both the Uchiha and the Council, not being sure who to trust - it was too much for one person to handle. Itachi wasn't even sure he could tell Kakashi - the man he grew up idolizing. But there was still Shisui. Shisui who couldn't know about his conversation with Danzo. That was Itachi's burden alone. A random shiver shot through Itachi's body.

It was quiet when Itachi stepped into his home, which was no surprise. Sasuke was sleep by now and if Fugaku wasn't in the bed then he was planning the coup. To his surprise, his mom was up and Itachi had the distinct feeling that she was waiting for him to come hom. When his mom smiled at him and wrapped her arms around him, Itachi calmly pulled away, said he was tired, and went to his room. Behind him, tears streamed down Mikoto's face. Itachi went past Sasuke's room so quickly, he didn't even consciously remember walking. It was as if one second he was entering the hallway and the next, he was in his room, lying on the floor with his eyes glued to the ceiling the way he did every night.

"Itachi-kun, are you hungry?" Mikoto asked, softly so that she wouldn't wake Sasuke. Itachi was surprised to see her but didn't say so. It was hard to see in the dark, but her voice was still heavy from crying.

"No, thank you." Itachi replied just as softly. Mikoto didn't say or do anything for a while. Itachi stared at her, or rather her dark outline. The silence between the two was almost tangible and, despite himself, Itachi wished she would just go away. He heard her take a breath and suddenly felt worse. She had been steeling herself so that when she said "Okay, I love you. Good night, Itachi-kun" her voice didn't break. She left the food on Itachi's dresser before disappearing altogether.

Silently Itachi wrapped his arms around his knees and tried his best to disappear so that he wouldn't have to face another long, sleepless night.

* * *

**Authors Corner:**

**This chapter is a little bit short, but I wanted to end it there and I didn't' want to just cram a bunch of words into this chapter (although I kinda had to to make it a decent length). But yeah, some nice emo Itachi going on. If you haven't guessed yet, we're at the Uchiha massacre. Not sure if I've told y'all yet but this is going to be the last story before we hit Part 2.**

**I haven't really been proof reading lately (this weekend it's been due to me writing during Mass Effect and Assassins Creed breaks.) But yeah, I hope you guys liked this chapter and don't worry, next weekend we'll be back at our original length. I don't think the Uchiha massacre is gonna be 3 chapters, but if it is so be it. Actually, that's probably a good idea. Isn't 13 like an unlucky number or something?**

**Anyway you guys, as usual thanks for all the love. Also I feel I should state that I look forward to your reviews very much. However, I have a tendency to ramble and reveal things I shouldn't which is why I pretty much never reply them.**

**But anyway, stay awesome hermanos.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Part I: Episode 13  
**

The sun was still rising as Itachi finished strapping on his ANBU uniform. Technically he shouldn't have been up this early, but he had been called to a Council meeting. Today, even at the expense of his clan, his family, he would save Konohagakure from tearing itself apart. He thought about his parents. How they were a perfect team in everything. He thought about Sasuke, his little brother, and made a note to do anything, beg even, for the Council to spare him. Even if the rest of the clan had to suffer, Sasuke was just a kid. He didn't deserve to be punished for the sins of his clan.

Everything appeared normal about the uniform, but when Itachi looked in the mirror what he saw almost scared him. He had known he was unwell, but it was disturbing how much the stress had eaten away at his body. There were dark bags under his eyes, his skin was frighteningly pale, and even his hair and eyes didn't seem as dark as they originally were. He sighed and tore himself away from the mirror, before doing a last scan of his room. He had everything and he wanted to leave before his mom woke up. No doubt she'd be horrified if she could see her eldest the way he looked now.

Danzo's words were still dancing in Itachi's mind as he silently slipped through the Uchiha manor. The mere suggestion made him sick, but then again Itachi always felt sick lately. It made it impossible to keep food down, which might explain the several pounds he had lost in the past few weeks. Ever since his father first mentioned the coup d'etat. Itachi pushed that thought out of his mind, but Danzo's words took its place. There was no middle ground at this point.

Before realizing it, Itachi arrived at the Naka River, the ghost of a smile on his face. He always took this route out of the village, even though it was out of the way. Of the three rivers in Konoha, the Naka was always the most calm. Even now, with all the bitterness and anger that seemed to pour out the compound like smoke, the river flowed lazily, as if it couldn't be bothered by what it considered humanity's mere whims. The river babbled like a stream, even though the water was somewhat murky due to the occasional misplaced Katon technique that came from the Uchiha compound. There wasn't much wildlife in the river, which Itachi didn't mind. That meant there were no animals competing for the right to live. There was no strife in the Naka river.

Caught up in his thoughts, Itachi almost missed the presence that appeared behind him. Almost. Quicker than his appearance would have suggested possible, Itachi turned around, sword unsheathed to face Shisui. His face was bloodied and his right eye was shut. Even now, blood seemed to be flowing out of it to the socket, which Itachi had the sinking suspicion was empty.

"What the hell, Shisui?" Itachi cried out. Despite his bloodied face and clothes, Shisui seemed disturbingly calm.

"We can't stop this Itachi. I tried going after Danzo, but he took my eye. Now he has access to Kotoamatsukami and I think he's going to try and take my left eye too." Shisui paused before gently fingering the area beneath his remaining eye. Itachi saw what he was about to do and before the taller Uchiha could react, Itachi had slammed the hilt of his sword into Shisui's forehead, causing him to crumple to the ground. Itachi slung one of Shisui's arms over his shoulder and quickly made his way towards the Council room. Tsunade would be there. She could help Shisui.

Itachi's mind was racing, despite both ANBU's and his father's insistence that he should always keep his cool. He probably shouldn't have hit Shisui. After having his eye taking out and who-knows-what-else, that kind of hit could have ended worse. But Itachi wasn't thinking quite straight anymore. He couldn't help it. Between all the pressure from both the Council and the Uchiha clan and Itachi's inability to eat and sleep, he _needed _Shisui to stay with him. Itachi couldn't do this alone.

Faster than he had expected, Itachi arrived outside the meeting place. Had the adrenaline not been pumping through his veins, he probably would have felt exhausted. Shisui was significantly heavier than he looked. As he raced up the stairs with Shisui on his shoulders, various guards, secretaries, and other staff members looked on with horror. By the time Itachi made it to the Council room, the two guards in front of the door were hesitantly blocking the door. Itachi evaded them expertly and was inside the chamber in the middle of Danzo's speech. There was a collective gasp in the room as Itachi turned his pleading eyes to Tsunade.

"Help him, please." Tsunade noticed the look in Itachi's eyes first. She recognized the eyes of a broken kid when she saw one, as she had seen plenty before. The eyes of someone who had lost just about everything and was coming to Tsunade hoping, praying that she could fix the last person they had left. Tsunade took a step forward and then she saw the blood. It was all over the other Uchiha's face and all over both his and Itachi's clothes. She tensed up, her eyes wide.

"Shizune!" She called out, instinctively. Thankfully, her raven-haired apprentice appeared and instantly recognized what to do.

"Clean him up and I'll be right there!" Tsunade ordered, somehow regaining some of her composure. Shizune bent down and tensed slightly when she tried to pull Shisui away from Itachi. Like Tsunade, Shizune recognized the look in his eyes. She had seen dozens if not hundreds of kids desperately torn between giving their loved one to the sole person who could save them and never letting their loved one go. She watched as the logic settled back into Itachi's eyes before he released Shisui. With a nod, Shizune quickly pulled the boy out of the room.

Throughout the entire commotion, Orochimaru and Jiraiya would sneak glances at Danzo. The man didn't even bother trying to look surprised or appalled. Instead he looked irritated, as if the Uchiha boy's death was a great inconvenience to him. Orochimaru then turned to Tsunade who was trying to regulate her breathing. He had forgotten how strong her hemophobia was, mostly because most of her patients in the past few years had been cleaned up prior to her seeing them.

Regardless, after a few breaths, the woman hailed as the strongest kunoichi in the world stood up. She silently asked Orochimaru for permission to leave and with a nod he granted it. The Council's meeting room grew uncomfortably silent afterwards. Even Danzo had stopped speaking. Finally Orochimaru stood up.

"We will continue this meeting at a later time." Orochimaru stated coolly before he walked out of the room like two young boys covered in blood hadn't just burst into a very tense Council debate. The Hokage looked down at Itachi with unreadable eyes before silently ordering the boy to come with him. Itachi cast one last glance at Danzo. It was one of hatred. Not the flaming, white-hot hatred one would expect of a kid. It was the kind of cold hatred that came about through decades of rage and mistrust. Orochimaru put a hand on Itachi's shoulder and the boy flinched. The Hokage was surprisingly warm, something that quickly bought Itachi back to reality. Slowly he stood up and followed the Hokage out the room and Hiruzen followed closely behind.

* * *

Orochimaru was silent as he and Itachi made their way towards the medical room that had been placed in Konoha's Ninja Academy. Itachi had filled him in on everything that had been going on: the coup, he and Shisui's refusal to join in, the bitterness of the Uchiha clan, and Shisui's meeting with Danzo. Had Hiruzen not been there, Itachi would have stopped there, but the 3rd Hokage's presence caused the boy to spill into the pressure he had been feeling and his begging to not punish Sasuke for the Uchiha's plans. Orochimaru found himself grateful for his sensei's presence. Itachi might have reminded Orochimaru of himself talent-wise, but the boy was centuries more sentimental than the Hokage had ever been.

By the time they arrived at the medical room, both Hiruzen and Orochimaru were deep in thought. They sent Itachi to watch Tsunade and Shizune so that they could talk alone, although neither said anything for a long time. Finally, it was Hiruzen who broke the silence.

"This is very bad Orochimaru. Danzo might be thinking of Konoha's best interests, but he is fanatical. And now, he is potentially the most powerful man in the world. We have no idea if he's even used Kotoamatsukami yet." Orochimaru was frustratingly quiet. His eyes seemed to be drilling a hole into the wall of the medical room as his mind attempted to piece various pieces of this puzzle together. Orochimaru tapped on a wall three times and two ANBU ninja appeared.

"One of you tell the Council that they need to go home immediately. I want the other to clear everyone out of the building." Orochimaru ordered. The ANBU didn't question their orders and just as quickly as they had appeared, they were gone. Orochimaru stepped in the increasingly crowded room where Tsunade's hands were gliding all over Shisui's body.

"He's lost a lot of blood and he's in shock right now," Tsunade announced to Orochimaru and Hiruzen. Nearby Shizune was going through the standard comforting phrases she had used throughout her relatively short medical career.

"Can you stabilize him?" Orochimaru asked. His eyes shined for a brief moment but no one noticed. There were various machines hooked up to Shisui and all of their outputs were low. Tsunade wore a grim expression on her face.

"I can't say. Most of the damage is stuff I can't heal even if I wanted to. I've removed most of the drugs that were in his system to dull the pain, I've cauterized his eye, and there's some very slight head trauma on here but that's being fixed with ice. Honestly, I'm not sure he will stabilize. Itachi..." Tsunade let her sentence hang and hang it did. It hung over the room like a cloud and Itachi looked like if Shisui were to die, he might die along with him. Orochimaru sighed and took a deep breath.

In a quick flash, his neck had extended several feet from his body, much to everyone's panic. Shizune screamed and screamed again when Orochimaru sank his teeth into Shisui's neck. The machines that were hooked up to Shisui's instantly reacted, displaying the boy's vitals as jumping exponentially. For a second, Shisui's eye shot wide open and he took a deep breath before passing back out. There was a stunned silence in the room as three small marks appeared on the left side of Shisui's neck where had been bitten. Orochimaru's neck returned to his original length as Shisui's breathing began to take on a regular pattern. He had survived the Cursed Seal of Heaven.

"Orochimaru...what the hell was that?!" Tsunade snapped angrily, much to Orochimaru's surprise.

"I gave him a fighting chance, Tsunade." Orochimaru responded. Tsunade glare was harsh but she said nothing. Both Itachi and Shizune looked an unhealthy mix of confusion, shock, and sickly. Orochimaru summoned another pair of ANBU.

"Do not let anyone inside this room aside from Tsunade. Not even me." Orochimaru ordered. He said something else, but Itachi didn't hear him. He just sat, looking at Shisui's sleeping form completely unsure of what to do next. This time the ANBU looked at each other, no doubt confused by the order. Orochimaru ignored this and gave everyone a look that said it was time to leave Shisui in peace. When his eyes connected with Tsunade's, he knew that their conversation would continue. Itachi didn't move and Orochimaru let it be.

* * *

"A cursed seal Orochimaru? Are you out of your damn mind? You could have killed him!?" Tsunade roared once the two had stepped into the Hokage's residence. There had been a few hours between them leaving the Academy and arriving home, mostly filled with questions from the Council members. Danzo was noticebaly absent at the time. Orochimaru took a deep breath and looked at her with a strange mixture of things Tsunade couldn't quite distinguish. He was confused, she could tell, about why she was mad. He was helping the way he knew how. Tsunade steeled herself from defending Orochimaru.

"I saw a possibility to save the boy and I took it." Orochimaru said. "You're upset because I didn't tell you about the cursed seal," it wasn't a question, but not quite a statement either. Tsunade folded her arms under her chest.

"Have you ever even tested it before, Orochimaru?" Tsunade asked with a resigned sigh. It was nearly impossible to stay mad at Orochimaru. Orochimaru sighed as well. Had everything gone the way he'd planned, Anko would have been among his first subjects to test the seal on. Unfortunately becoming Hokage had derailed that entire process.

"No," Orochimaru answered. Tsunade took a deep, irritated breath.

"What you did was dangerous and reckless, Orochimaru. You could've killed the kid and Itachi...you might've killed him too." The last part of Tsunade's sentence was spoken softer than the rest. There was a short silence.

"Oh, um excuse me." A voice said, distracting the two sannin from their conversation. They turned to see the white-haired boy who had been living in the Hokage's mansion for the past few months.

"Kabuto-kun, I didn't know you were here. I'm sorry if you overheard that-"

"Oh don't worry Tsunade-san, I was reading one of your medical books upstairs. I just came down for some water. I hope I'm not interrupting anything. Sorry." Kabuto said with a quick bow before slipping out of the main room. Tsunade sighed. She had hoped he would've become less formal in the months he'd be the Hokage's mansion followed by Danzo nearly killing him, but no luck. She then turned to face Orochimaru.

"We should check on the boy. We'll want to be there when he wakes up." He said. He paused for a minute. "Kabuto." It always impressed Tsunade how Orochimaru's voice could fill an entire room without him shouting. He simply had the kind of voice that reverberated throughout a room. The white-haired teenager poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Yes sir, Orochimaru-san?" He asked.

"Come with us please." Despite its polite sound, it wasn't a request. Kabuto chugged his glass of water and quickly made his way to the door to follow Orochimaru and Tsunade.

* * *

"It's me." Tsunade said as she stepped closer towards Shisui's room. The two ANBU ninja looked at each before each grabbing a kunai. Tsunade stopped and looked at them curiously.

"What are you two doing? Orochimaru said to let me in." Tsunade growled, clearly irritated. The ANBU raised their kunai and both proceeded to cut themselves on the length of their forearms, causing blood to spill outward. Tsunade looked unimpressed.

"If you two are done wasting my time-" Tsunade said as she took another step, but the ANBU blocked her.

"Who are you? You're not Lady Tsunade." One of the ANBU said. Tsunade cocked her head to the side.

"What're you talking about? Of course I'm Tsunade." Inside the medical room, Itachi began to stir. He wasn't sure when exactly he had fallen asleep and despite falling asleep on a row of chairs, it was the best sleep he had gotten in a while. He immediately noticed the altercation developing outside. Two of the ANBU ninja were facing off against Tsunade, who looked incredibly irritated by the ordeal. Quickly, Itachi made his way outside.

"What's going on?" He asked. The next few seconds were instrumental in proving to Itachi that the woman he was facing was not Tsunade. First, he noticed the cuts on the ANBU's arm and thought about Orochimaru's explicit orders before he left. "When you see Tsunade, make yourself bleed." Itachi thought it was weird at first, but then he remembered how the Sannin had reacted when he bought Shisui's body into the Council meeting. Tsunade was terrified of blood.

Secondly, Tsunade attempted to grab him. Tsunade was perhaps the greatest medical-ninja in the world. If she wanted Itachi incapacitated, grabbing him was not a wise maneuver. As Itachi quickly evaded, he grabbed Tsunade's arm and had her half-flipped when he activated his Sharingan. Two separate chakra systems were blended in a sloppy combination transformation. When "Tsunade" landed, there was a puff of smoke and three teenagers, around Itachi's age, were tangled in a mess of arms and legs, although they quickly stood up and organized themselves.

The boys were dressed in a uniform Itachi wasn't quite familiar with. It involved black pants, a black half-shirt with only one sleeve. One of them began to remove his clothes. With his Sharingan, Itachi could see that his chakra system was barely visible and instantly recognized it as that of an Aburame. The reason he had not seen at first was because of the chakra-draining insects.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Itachi asked. He was still dressed in his ANBU uniform, he realized. Slowly he pulled out his katana. And one of the boys, one with chin-length lavender hair charged, tanto in hand. The two weapons clashed with a clang. This guy knew what he was doing. Despite his age, he was a killer. Itachi attempted eye contact, but the boy jumped back, tanto raised.

Itachi knew their target and promised to himself and to Shisui that they wouldn't get past the medical room threshold.

* * *

**Author's Corner**

**As usual, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and followed and favourited. I really do appreciate it a bunch. Now for all the other stuff:**

**I know the whole Kabuto living with OroTsu kinda came out of nowhere and I will do a flashback for him at some point, but he does somewhat play a role in the next chapter. But yeah, his background is pretty much canon with the only difference being he kinda sorta got adopted by Tsunade (and Orochimaru by extension).**

**In retrospect, I wish I would've done Itachi vs Root more. They weren't in the original draft of this story and honestly I might've bumped their ages a bit, but I couldn't find official ages (if you couldn't tell that was Fu, Torune, and Shin). I kinda wish I would've done more interactions between Itachi and Hiruzen. It was just kind of a plot device at first, but now I think it'd be kind of interesting.**

**And finally to, um Guest? Well everyone, sorry the past few chapters have been kinda meh in terms of how they're written. I got kinda lazy and started writing them and posting them the day of instead of writing in advance and editing as the week went on. So I'm back to that and I hope you all continue to enjoy.**


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